Dr Reddys launches generic oral anti epileptic drug in US

PTI Aug 20, 2019, 06.01 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Drug firm Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Tuesday said it has launched generic anti-epileptic Vigabatrin powder for oral solution in the US market.
The product is a generic version of Lundbeck's Sabril powder for oral solution, Dr Reddy...

Aster Healthcare to invest Rs 1,000 cr in five new hospitals

PTI Aug 20, 2019, 03.53 PM IST
MUMBAI: The Kochi-based Aster DM Healthcare, one of the few publicly traded hospital chains in the country, is planning to add over 2,000 beds at an investment of over Rs 1,000 crore in the next two to three years in five new properties outside Kerala.
...

Dr Reddy's launches Roche's Avastin biosimilar in India

PTI Aug 19, 2019, 01.49 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Drug firm Dr Reddy's Laboratories on Monday said it has launched a biosimilar of Roche's Avastin in India indicated for the treatment of various types of cancers.
The company's biosimilar, Versavo, is available in strengths of 10...

Make in India plan in works to attract medical device companies

Updated: Aug 17, 2019, 07.46 AM IST
New Delhi: The government is stitching up a plan to lure the medical devices industry to Make in India, along the lines of telecom and electronics, seeking to cut reliance on imports and lower costs.
Niti Aayog, the government’s think ...

USFDA okays new antibiotic for highly drug resistant tuberculosis

ET Bureau Aug 16, 2019, 11.14 AM IST
MUMBAI: The USFDA has approved a new tuberculosis drug to treat extreme drug-resistant TB (XDR-TB), the first developed by a not-for-profit organisation, and the therapy could help patients in countries such as India where the impact of the infectious dise...

Pharma wants a booster fund to push innovation

ET Bureau Aug 15, 2019, 08.55 AM IST
AHMEDABAD | MUMBAI: The Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, a group of top research-based pharmaceutical companies, has urged policy think tank Niti Aayog and the Department of Pharmaceuticals to set up a large fund to boost technological innovation in pharma ...

ET Bureau Aug 14, 2019, 03.49 PM IST
MUMBAI: In one of the rare partnerships between the industry and academic institutions, Sun Pharma, India's largest drug maker said that it has entered into a global licensing agreement with Hyderabad based CSIR Indian Institute of Chemical Technology,...

Radiant Life Care rejigs board of directors and leadership team

Updated: Aug 13, 2019, 06.39 AM
Radiant Life Care that acquired Max Healthcare through a two stage structured transaction, has restructured its board of directors and leadership team. Former Sebi Chairman UK Sinha and Micheal Neeb former president of HCA Healthcare, a US-based leading h...

Unichem Laboratories gets USFDA nod for hypertension management drug

PTI Aug 12, 2019, 11.18 AM IST
Drug firm Unichem Laboratories has received approval from the US health regulator to market Chlorthalidone tablets, used to treat high blood pressure.
The company has received abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) approval from the US Food and Drug A...

PTI Aug 12, 2019, 10.42 AM IST
NEW DELHI: Natco Pharma on Monday said the US health regulator has made six observations after the completion of inspection of active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) facility in Mekaguda Village, near Hyderabad.
The United States Food and Drug Administ...

CK Birla Hospital for Women to invest up to Rs 1,000 cr, add 14 hospitals by end of 2025

PTI Aug 11, 2019, 12.17 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Healthcare provider CK Birla Hospital for Women is planning to invest up to Rs 1,000 crore to add around 14 more hospitals under the brand across the country by the end of 2025, founder Avanti Birla has said. The company currently has one 75-bed multi...

Facing headwinds in US, Natco Pharma looks to scale up business in China

PTI Updated: Aug 11, 2019, 12.06 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Natco Pharma is focusing on filing of cancer treatment drugs in China, the world's second largest pharmaceutical market, as part of its strategy to diversify business in various emerging markets amid headwinds in the US. Addressing shareh...

Improved life expectancy a factor leading to increased incidence of cancer study

ET Bureau Aug 07, 2019, 07.52 AM IST
Mumbai: The growing incidence of cancer in India might not be only because of changing lifestyle or increased “westernisation”, according to a new study by Dr. Mohandas Mallath of Tata Medical Hospital and his student Robert Smith which has fou...

Delhi Medical Association protests against new selection norms of ESIC

ET Bureau|Aug 06, 2019, 08.07 PM IST
The Delhi Medical Association has written to labour minister Santosh Kumar Gangwar protesting against new selection norms of ESIC which it alleges has been floated to help only big/corporate-run hospitals and eliminate small hospitals and nursing homes.&nb...

Maharashtra to set up single window clearance system for pharma companies

PTI Aug 04, 2019, 02.44 PM IST
MUMBAI: The Maharashtra government is planning to attract pharmaceutical companies to set up base in the state and has decided to set up a single-window system to grant them clearances and address their grievances.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Mi...

As price pressure mounts, pharma companies tap analytics to cut costs

Last Updated at August 3, 2019 21:14 IST
Pharmaceutical companies, on account of price pressures and an intense regulatory gaze, are investing in data analytics and digital tools to sharpen their marketing focus and improve compliance.
The move comes in the backdrop of price competitiven...

Sun Pharma shuts 2 Gujarat R&D centres to cut costs

ET Bureau Aug 03, 2019, 10.48 AM IST
MUMBAI: In a bid to rationalise costs, drug major Sun Pharma is shutting two units at its Vadodara-based R&D centre, terminating employment of around 85 scientists. The scientists were engaged in the clinical pharmacology unit, which is part of R&D...

Cognizant appoints former Wipro healthcare head Heenan Jalil to run healthcare business

ET Bureau|Aug 01, 2019, 04.36 PM IST
BENGALURU: Cognizant has appointed former Wipro healthcare head Jeff Heenan-Jalil as head of its healthcare division, as the company continues to restructure its business.
Heenan-Jalil left Wipro in September 2018, and took over as CEO of Europe ...

Microsoft partners Apollo Hospitals to set up National Clinical Coordination Committee

Updated: Aug 01, 2019, 02.59 PM IST
HYDERABAD: As part of Microsoft's AI Network for Healthcare initiative, Microsoft India and Apollo Hospitals on Thursday said they have joined hands to set up a National Clinical Coordination Committee for AI-powered Cardiovascular Disease Risk Score AP...

Mylan deal to give a boost to Pfizer’s India business: Analysts

ET Bureau|Jul 31, 2019, 07.15 AM IST
Mumbai: The merger of Pfizer’s off-patent drugs business UpJohn with generic drugs company Mylan would give a boost to the New York City-headquartered pharmaceuticals firm’s business in India which has been struggling amid stiff competition fro...

PTI Jul 30, 2019, 02.06 PM IST
Hyderabad: Dr Reddy's Laboratories was expecting an inspection of its Active Pharmaceuticals Ingredients (API) plant at Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh by the US Food and Drug Administration officials by the end of this year, a top company official said on Tues...

National Medical Commission bill to be biggest reform: Harsh Vardhan

PTI Jul 29, 2019, 03.16 PM IST
Genuine concerns over the National Medical Commission Bill have been addressed and the legislation will be one of the biggest reforms, Union minister Harsh Vardhan said in Lok Sabha on Monday.
The bill would replace the 63-year-old Medical Council of I...

Medanta plans 1,000 bed hospitals in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Allahabad

PTI Jul 28, 2019, 08.03 PM IST
The Medanta group is planning to open 1,000-bed hospitals in Gorakhpur, Varanasi and Allahabad on the lines of the one being constructed in Lucknow.
Speaking at the second ground breaking ceremony here, Medanta Group Chairman Naresh Trehan said, "...

Pakistan imports over 36 million dollars worth of antirabies, antivenom vaccines from India

Updated: Jul 26, 2019, 01.23 PM IST
ISLAMABAD: Over USD 36 million worth of anti-rabies and anti-venom vaccines have been imported by Pakistan from India due to lack of manufacturing capacity in the country, according to a media report.
The Nation newspaper on Thursday reported that...

Mega diabetes drug to be cheaper soon

Updated: Jul 25, 2019, 11.11 AM IST
MUMBAI: There is some good news around the corner for the over 72 million diabetics in India, as cheaper versions of a blockbuster drug are expected to hit the market soon. With one of the relatively newer but important anti-diabetic drugs, Vildaglipt...

Zydus Cadila launches insomnia drug in US market

PTI jul 24, 2019, 11.42 AM IST
Zydus Cadila on Wednesday launched Ramelteon tablets, used to treat insomnia, in the US market.
In a BSE filing, Zydus Cadila announced the "launch of Ramelteon tablets, 8 mg upon receiving the final approval from the USFDA. Ramelteon is a sedati...

Strand Life Sciences Joins the Global Diagnostics Network (GDN)

Tuesday, July 23, 2019 1:35PM
Mumbai, Maharashtra, India: Strand Life Sciences, India, announced today that it has joined the Global Diagnostics Network (GDN), a strategic working group of major diagnostic laboratories collaborating to generate enhanced diagnostics insights to imp...

PTI Jul 23, 2019, 01.02 PM IST
Drug firm Alembic Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday said it has received tentative approval from the US health regulator for Dapagliflozin Tablets, a medication that helps to reduce blood glucose levels.
The approved product is therapeutically equivalent to t...

ET Bureau|Updated: Jul 22, 2019, 09.33 AM IST
MUMBAI: Two years after the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority introduced price caps and made it mandatory for hospitals to display the Maximum, Retail Price (MRP) of medical devices, a survey has found that most devices that hospitals use ...

PTI Jul 21, 2019, 02.48 PM IST
In order to standardise healthcare services, the Health ministry has proposed a set of "minimum standards of facilities and services" that has to be adhered to by clinical establishments offering allopathy and AYUSH mode of treatments for obtaining reg...

Govt to list ‘essential medical devices’, cap trade margin

TNN Jul 21, 2019, 10.38 AM IST
NEW DELHI: In a step towards controlling high prices of commonly used medical devices, the government is set to identify a list of “essential medical devices”, expected to be a precursor to anti-profiteering measures such as capping trade margins in ...

USFDA completes inspection of Strides Pharma Bengaluru plant

PTI|Jul 20, 2019, 05.44 PM IST
New Delhi: Drug firm Strides Pharma Science said Saturday the inspection of its formulation facility in Bengaluru by the US health regulator has completed successfully with a voluntary action indicated (VAI) classification. The company's facility in Bengalur...

Dr Reddy's launches generic version of Allegra D in US

Updated: Jul 19, 2019, 12.46 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Drug major Dr Reddy's Laboratories Friday said it has launched generic Allegra-D, used to relieve symptoms caused by the common cold, flu or allergies, in the US market.
In a BSE filing, Dr Reddy's announced "launch of Fexo...

Last Updated at July 18, 2019 12:58 IST
Caplin Point Laboratories on Thursday said its subsidiary Caplin Steriles has received final approval US health regulator for Tranexamic Acid Injection, used to prevent excessive blood loss from major trauma.
Caplin Steriles... has been granted fina...

US FDA finds significant violation at India's Strides plant

Reuters Jul 17, 2019, 11.15 AM IST
The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said it found adulteration and "significant violations" of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) regulations at Strides Pharma Sciences Ltd's plant in Puducherry in south India.
Strides s...

Lupin aims to launch new products across geographies this fiscal

PTI|Jul 14, 2019, 12.30 PM IST
New Delhi: Drug maker Lupin aims to launch its first biosimilar product and commercialise its first inhalation product in the US in the current fiscal. Addressing shareholders in the company's Annual Report for 2018-19, Lupin Chief Executive Officer Vinita G...

By Vikas Dandekar, ET Bureau Jul 14, 2019, 12.10 PM IST
MUMBAI: The acrimonious patent-related tussles between Indian and multinational drug makers are down but not yet out. In the latest development, a division bench of the Delhi High Court dismissed an injunction petition filed by German dr...

Audit of Laurus Labs completed by USFDA without objections

PTI Jul 12, 2019, 05.47 PM IST
New Delhi: Drug firm Laurus LabsNSE 3.29 % Friday said audit of its unit 4 at Visakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh by the US health regulator has been completed without any observations.
"The inspection of the unit 4 was carried out from July 8 - 12, 2...

Health Ministry to use Artificial Intelligence in safe way in public health

PTI Jul 12, 2019, 01.32 PM IST
New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry is working towards using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in a safe and effective way in public health in the country.
Harsh Vardhan also said in Lok Sabha on Friday that to address gaps in India's AI ecosystem and ...

Temasek plans Indian healthtech platform

ET Bureau|Jul 12, 2019, 07.59 AM IST
Mumbai: Singapore’s Temasek is looking to build and nurture a health-tech platform in India as an extension to its existing healthcare platform Sheares, where most of its Asian healthcare businesses are anchored, senior officials of the fund told ET....

PharmEasy is closing in on USD120 million in equity round

By Biswarup Gooptu, ET Bureau, Updated: Jul 09, 2019, 06.01 PM IST
New Delhi: Online pharmacy venture PharmEasy is close to wrapping up a $100-120 million equity financing round, led by a host of new investors including CDPQ, the second-largest Canadian pension fund, and LGT, the private bank...

Indian pharma industry to grow at 11 to 13 pc in FY2020, Icra

PTI, Jul 04, 2019, 08.37 PM IST
NEW DELHI: Indian pharmaceutical industry is likely to grow by 11-13 per cent in the current fiscal, rating agency Icra said on Thursday.
"The growth trajectory for the Indian pharmaceutical industry is likely to remain at 11-13 per cent in FY202...

Buyout giants in talks with Wockhardt for domestic formulations business

MUMBAI: Buyout funds Apax Partners, Blackstone, Carlyle and KKR are in talks with Wockhardt Ltd, one of India’s oldest drug makers, to acquire a substantial stake in its domestic formulations business, said people aware of the discussions.
While the Habil Khorakiwalaowned ...

WHO seeks to curb menace of drug resistance

World Health Organisation (WHO) has classified antibiotics into different groups based on their therapeutic efficacy and to curb the increasing risk of superbug infections. It has asked member-countries, including India, to adopt the classification in their health systems to cut the spread of ant...

Consumer bill draft removes healthcare from service

NEW DELHI: “Healthcare” has been removed from the list of services specifically mentioned in the draft consumer protection bill, in what is seen as a bid to assuage the medical fraternity which has expressed apprehensions over the law being used adversely against it.
Officia...

NEW DELHI: Apex healthcare industry body NATHEALTH Monday said it is exploring bilateral collaborations in digital health with the Netherlands.
Dutch healthcare experts are in India on a digital health mission to explore bilateral collaborations in the sector, NATHEALTH said in a statem...

New Delhi: GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals is optimising its product portfolio with focus on key brands to accelerate growth in India, a senior company official said.
The company is also looking to launch some new products in the country over the next 15 months as it adopts a more struc...

Glenmark Pharma says USFDA has issued CRL for Ryaltris

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Saturday said the US Food and Drug Administration has issued a Complete Response Letter (CRL)regarding the new drug application for Ryaltris.
The CRL cites deficiencies in the Drug Master File pertaining to one of the active pharmaceutical ingredients and in man...

Two thirds of AIDS treatment drugs supplied globally by India

UNITED NATIONS: Taking a lead in the global fight against AIDS, India is supplying the world with two-thirds of the drugs to treat those infected with HIV, according to Indian diplomat Paulomi Tripathi.
"These affordable generic medicines have helped scale up access to treatment ac...

70 products in pipeline,Dr Reddy's bullish on China

With incipient regulatory changesin China onIndian drug imports, Dr Reddy's Laboratories has identified about 70 products for the country to be launched in a few years andis also planning to build a new plant very close to the existing one.
Dr Reddy's Chief Operations Officer, E...

Natco, Onyx settle cancer drug patent litigation

Generic drugmaker NatcoN Pharma on Thursday said it has settled a patent litigation with Onyx Therapeutics in the US over its generic version of anti-cancer drug Carfilzomib (Kyprolis). Natco is a copycat drug maker known for oncology specialisation.
Hyderabad-headquartered Natco said t...

Addressable market for epharmacies in India to reach $18.1 bn by 2023 EY

The total addressable medicine market for e-pharmacies in India is likely to reach USD 18.1 billion by 2023, driven by increasing internet penetration through smartphones, healthcare spend and rise in chronic diseases, according to a report.
As per the report 'E-pharma: Delivering H...

JB Chemicals promoters to offload 57% stake

The promoters of Mumbai-based JB Chemicals have put their business up for sale, mandating investment bank Avendus to look for a buyer for their 57% stake in the company, said four people with direct knowledge of the development.
Started in 1976 as an API and formulations manufacturer, J...

Manipal Hospitals to buy Medanta in Rs 5,800 crore deal

The promoters of leading hospital chain Medanta have agreed to sell the business to Manipal Hospitals for Rs 5,800 crore, said two people aware of the development, ending negotiations that have lasted two years. Besides the promoters, existing investors Carlyle and Singapore-based Temasek also ag...

CCI approves GSK, Pfizer consumer healthcare JV formation

NEW DELHI: The Competition Commission Friday said it has approved the formation of a joint venture for consumer healthcare products by pharmaceutical giants GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Pfizer.
GSK, in December 2018, had said it has reached an agreement with Pfizer to combine their consume...

Looking beyond generic, Sun Pharma plans to develop its own medicines

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who’s lost more during the recent upheaval in the generic drug business than Dilip Shanghvi: He forfeited $17 billion to be precise, plus the title of India’s richest man.
After a four-year decline that erased 65 per cent from the value ...

Alembic Pharma gets USFDA nod for overactive bladder treatment drug

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Alembic Pharmaceuticals Tuesday said it has received approval from the US health regulator for Solifenacin Succinate tablets, used for treatment of overactive bladder. The approved products is therapeutically equivalent to the reference listed drug, Vesicare tablets of Astell...

Dr Reddy's to spend upto $ 300 million on R&D in FY 20

Laboratories is planning to spend upto USD 300 million on research and development (R&D) during this financial year, a senior official of the company has said.
President, CFO and global head (HR) of Dr Reddy's Saumen Chakraborty, during an 'earnings call', said the drug-...

A curious case of hidden, dangerous typhoid: It's time to take action now

In 2017, when clinician scientist Gagandeep Kang and her colleagues started an extensive typhoid surveillance study across India, the general perception among the scientific community was that typhoid was significantly declining based on the data reported by big hospitals in India. But when Kang&...

Glenmark Pharma: Acid reflux capsules get US FDA nod

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Tuesday said it has received final approval from the US health regulator for generic version of AstraZeneca's Nexium, used to treat acid reflux.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc, USA, has been granted final approval by the United States Food & Drug Administrati...

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Cadila Healthcare Tuesday said the name of its arm Zydus Pharmaceuticals Inc is included in the lawsuit filed against some generic companies by US states.
Zydus Pharmaceuticals Inc is the US arm of Cadila Healthcare.
According to some media reports, more t...

Hospitals get PG seats but can’t meet standards

Fake faculty, fake patients, inadequate infrastructure these grievances are common about private medical colleges. They are now cropping up in complaints against private hospitals accredited by the National Board of Examination (NBE) for post-graduate seats. Yet, when a student complained about o...

Aster starts finance service centres in its hospitals to help patients

KOCHI: Aster DM Healthcare has launched Aster finance service centre across all its existing 11 hospitals and the two upcoming ones of the group in the country to provide funds for needy patients.
Aster Easy Care has been developed in association with BajajNSE -1.92 % Fin Serve and Fede...

Lupin gets more time from govt to complete project in Indore SEZ

The government has approved a proposal of drug firm Lupin to take more time for completion of its project at Indore special economic zone (SEZ) with proposed investment of Rs 205.69 crore. The decision to give more time was taken by the the Board of Approval (BoA) in its meeting on April 22 here....

Alembic Pharma forms JV to enter a difficult $100 bn Chinese market

Vadodara-based Alembic Pharmaceuticals Limited on Tuesday announced a joint venture (JV) for entering the Chinese market, the world's second largest single country drug market after the US. Indian players like Dr Reddy's Laboratories have presence in the Chinese market while others like C...

Bulk drug exports rise as Indian makers cash in on China's regulatory woes

Exports of bulk drugs and intermediates from India grew in double digits during the financial year (FY) 2019, a period that was marked by drug shortages in the global market owing to supply disruptions in China. India's domestic market, too, was plagued by shortages of bulk drugs as the pharm...

Pfizer gets U.S. approval for $225,000 a year heart drug

Pfizer, which has touted tafamidis as a potential blockbuster product, set a list price of $225,000 a year for the medicine, which would be sold under the brand name Vyndaqel. It is the first approved medicine for the disease in the United States.
Analysts are forecasting annual sales to exce...

M&A deal value in hospital sector jumped by 155% in FY19

MUMBAI: Despite the stress on performance due to regulatory restrictions, the value of merger and acquisition (M&A) deals in hospital sector jumped by record 155 percent at ?7,615 crore in FY19, a report said Monday.
The total value of M&A transactions in the hospital sector in FY19 r...

Unichem Laboratories Tuesday said it has received tentative approval from the US health regulator for its generic copy of allergic rhinitis Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc's Zyrtec-D 12 Hour used for treating allergic rhinitis.
The tentative nod by the US Food and Drug Administration (...

Dr Reddy's launches generic testosterone gel in US market

Drug maker Dr Reddy's Laboratories Monday said it has launched in the US market its generic version of AndroGel testosterone gel which is used in treating adult males with low or no testosterone due to certain medical conditions.
The company's testosterone gel 1.62 per cent, whi...

Strides Pharma Science Ltd Monday said the US health regulator has classified its Puducherry facility as official action initiated (OAI) for non-compliance of norms following an inspection.
The company has received a communication from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) on May 4, 201...

Sun Pharmaceuticals to set up an ethics committee to oversee corporate governance related matters

Sun Pharmaceuticals managing director Dilip Shanghvi told ET in an email interview that executive director Sudhir Valia “has decided to focus more of his time on pursuits outside Sun, but he continues to be a valuable resource for the company.”
The board has agreed to consti...

Lupin, Zydus Pharmaceuticals recall products in the US

New Delhi: Drug major Lupin is recalling 46,700 bottles of Morphine Sulfate extended-release tablets, used to treat severe pain, in the US market, according to a report by the US health regulator. Lupin Somerset is recalling the drug in various strengths due to "failed impurities/degradation...

What we had done for India, we are now doing for US: Umang Vohra, MD, Cipla

Cipla MD Umang Vohra moved to India from Dr Reddy’s in the US to run the former’s finance function in 2015. Within a year he was named CEO and MD. In an interview with Suman Layak, Vohra explains his strategy of taking Cipla products to global markets. Edited excerpts:
What ...

J&J faces more pain as Mumbai cops reopen implants case

New Delhi: The Mumbai Police has opened investigation into an eight-year-old case against DePuy Medical Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of Johnson and Johnson Pvt. Ltd (J&J), for its faulty hip replacement implants, a top police official said on Thursday. The city police is in the process of recording...

USFDA makes 'certain' observations for Torrent Pharma's Indrad plant

Drug firm Torrent Pharmaceuticals Friday said the US health regulator has made 'certain' observations after inspection of its Indrad facility in Gujarat. The audit at Indrad plant of the company was carried out by the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) in April.
...

Cloudnine Hospitals appoints Raviganesh Venkataraman as CEO

Bengaluru-headquartered private-equity backed Cloudnine, which runs a chain of maternity, childcare and fertility care hospitals, has announced the appointment of Raviganesh Venkataraman as its Chief Executive Officer.
Akash Malik, outgoing CEO has been with the Group for six years and ...

USFDA retains OAI status for Indoco's Goa plant

New Delhi-Drug firm Indoco Remedies Wednesday said the US health regulator has retained Official Action Indicated (OAI) status for its Goa plant and may impact approval of pending applications from this facility.
"The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) retains the O...

Mfine raises funds from Japan’s SBI Investments

Bengaluru: mfine, a Bengaluru-based health-tech AI startup, has raised $17.2 million in Series B funding. The investment was led by SBI Investment, a Japan-based venture capital firm and a subsidiary of the SBI Group. Singapore-based SBI Ven Capital, SBI Group’s Southeast-Asian investment a...

Lupin's Pithampur facility may face regulatory action, says USFDA

NEW DELHI: Drug maker Lupin Tuesday said the US health regulator has cautioned that the firm's Pithampur facility may be subject to regulatory or administrative action and that it may withhold approval of any pending applications or supplements in which this facility is listed.
The compan...

IMA opposes government proposal to allow dentists practice modern medicine

NEW DELHI: Government’s proposal of allowing dentists to practice modern medicine through a bridge course in order to tackle the shortfall of doctors in rural areas is facing stern opposition from the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The proposal has already received a nod from Prime Minis...

Sixth Sense Ventures invests $3 mn in MyHealthcare

Bengaluru: MyHealthcare, a digital integrated healthcare ecosystem said on Monday it has raised $3 million from Sixth Sense Ventures, as part of its ongoing Series A fund raise.
MyHealthcare works with hospitals, diagnostics and speciality health institutions in building their digital health ...

Cipla appoints Dr Raju Mistry as global chief people officer

Cipla has announced the appointment of Dr. Raju Mistry as President and Global Chief People Officer (GCPO) of the company.
Mistry is a veteran Human Resources (HR) professional with over 27 years of global experience across diverse sectors such as Chemicals, Pharma, FMCG, IT, Engineerin...

Novartis picks Sanjay Murdeshwar of AstraZeneca to lead its India business

Swiss drug giant Novartis has appointed Sanjay Murdeshwar of AstraZeneca to lead its India business, after two of its new appointees left the company in a span of two years. Murdeshwar according to his current LinkedIn profile is the Global Vice President, Cardio-Renal business at Astrazeneca. He...

Alembic Pharma gets USFDA nod for 2 generic products

Drug firm Alembic Pharmaceuticals Monday said it has received approvals from the US health regulator for its Teriflunomide tablets and Tobramycin ophthalmic solution. The company has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its abbreviated new drug applica...

Torrent Pharma recalls over 10.78 lakh bottles of hypertension drug from US

Drug firm Torrent Pharmaceuticals Inc is recalling over 10.78 lakh bottles of hypertension treatment tablets from the US and Puerto Rico on account of deviations from current good manufacturing norms, as per a report of the US health regulator.
The US-based arm of Torrent Pharmaceutical...

Local pharma companies to challenge MNCs in pneumonia vaccine space

The duopoly of pneumonia vaccines in India is in for some shake-up soon, as homegrown players like Aurobindo Pharma, Cadila Healthcare (Zydus Cadila), and Serum Institute are readying their vaccine candidates. The Indian market is at present dominated by GlaxoSmithKline Pharma and Pfizer.
Ind...

Regulator directs drug manufacturers to incorporate new recorded adverse effects in leaflets

New Delhi: The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has written to all state drug regulators to direct manufacturers of certain antibiotics and anti-psychiatric drugs to include their new recorded adverse effects in the leaflets inside the package to promote patients' safety.
The...

Lupin seeks more time from commerce ministry to complete Indore SEZ project

New Delhi: Drug firm Lupin has sought more time from the commerce ministry to complete its project, with proposed investment of Rs 205.69 crore, in the Indore Special Economic Zone (SEZ).
The company is setting up its pharma unit in Indore SEZ to manufacture pharmaceutical formulations ...

Granules India gets USFDA nod for pain relief drug

Drug firm Granules India Thursday said it has received approval from the US health regulator for Acetaminophen tablets, used for temporary pain relief.
The approved product is bioequivalent to the reference listed drug product (RLD), Tylenol tablets, extended release.
The US F...

Hair in one vail, Aurobindo recalls 88k Lidocaine injections from US

Aurobindo Pharma Ltd has initiated recall of 88,600 vials of Lidocaine HCl Injection, USP 1 % 50 mg/5 mL (10 mg/mL) from USA market as one of the vials contained a strand of hair, the US Food and Drug Administration said.
According to a notification put up by the US Drug regulator in it...

Government invites initial bids for strategic sale of IMPCL

NEW DELHI: The government has invited initial bids for selling its entire stake in Indian Medicines Pharmaceutical Corporation Ltd (IMPCL).
IMPCL is engaged in manufacture and supply of 'ayurvedic' and 'unani' medicines and is under the Ministry of AYUSH.
The g...

Many essential drugs priced much higher than manufacturing cost: WHO

Around 40% of the essential medicines in India with lowest MRP are priced significantly higher than estimated production costs, an assessment by the World Health Organisation (WHO) shows highlighting the “exorbitant” profiteering by pharmaceutical companies and the scope for lowering ...

India facing shortage of 600,000 doctors, 2 million nurses: Study

WASHINGTON: India has shortage of an estimated 600,000 doctors and 2 million nurses, say scientists who found that lack of staff who are properly trained in administering antibiotics is preventing patients from accessing live-saving drugs.
Even when antibiotics are available, patients a...

Dr Reddy's acquires a portfolio of 42 ANDAs in US

Drug major Dr Reddy's Laboratories Saturday said it has acquired a portfolio of 42 abbreviated new drug applications (ANDAs) in the US.
The company said it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire yet to be marketed portfolio of ANDAs, including more than 30 generic inject...

Ayushman Bharat package rates revision on radar

Kolkata: The contentious issue of package rates of Central government's Ayushman Bharat scheme may be resolved after the Lok Sabha election, a senior official of a private hospital chain said here on Friday.
The Indian Medical Association (IMA) has demanded a "reasonable and fa...

Kool ex cold chain bets on changing pharma distribution guidelines

Kool-ex, a specialist in pharmaceutical cold chain solutions in which Tata MotorsNSE 0.46 % recently invested, is on a significant expansion spree with a planned investment of more than Rs 300 crore.
Thanks to the growing demand for cold chain logistics in the pharma sector, the company...

Indian execs named in US pharma case

Connecticut, which is leading a multistate investigation of an anti-trust lawsuit against 18 generic pharma companies, including five Indian firms, over price cartelisation on Wednesday said it has unsealed some key details of possibly the “largest cartel case in the history of the United S...

Lupin launches generic antidepressant tablets in US

Drug firm Lupin Wednesday said it has launched generic antidepressant Fluoxetine tablets in the American market.
The company has launched its Fluoxetine tablets USP in the strength of 60mg after having received an approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) earl...

MUMBAI: After partnering with storied brick-and-mortar names such as Larsen & Toubro and Bharti, the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB) is looking to back emerging champions across financial services, healthcare, commerce and education that are overlaying technology to define and de...

PE fund Everstone to acquire Pune Sahyadri Hospitals

Mumbai: Home-grown private equity fund The Everstone Group will acquire a controlling stake in Sahyadri Hospitals Limited, the largest hospital chain in Maharashtra. The combination of primary and secondary capital outlay is expected to increase the bed-count significantly in next five years, Eve...

Government notifies new rules for drugs and clinical trials

Aimed at promoting clinical research in the country, the Health Ministry on Monday notified New Drugs and Clinical Trials Rules, 2019 reducing the time for approving applications to 30 days for drugs manufactured in India and 90 days for those developed outside the country.
The new rule...

Sun Pharma receives 483 for Baska facility co says responded to USFDA

MUMBAI: India's largest drug maker Sun Pharma on Monday said that it has received letter 483 (an observation of deviation in manufacturing practice) from the US Food and Drug Administration for its manufacturing plant in Baska Gujarat. Sun said it has received 1 observation for this facility ...

Genes2Me Bringing New Healthcare Paradigm with Genomics

Genes2Me, India’s first diagnostic chain to bridge clinical diagnostics with genomics has reinvigorated the preventive healthcare sector in the country. Genes2Me has evolved as a game changer in the field of molecular testing by yielding health statistics of today and suitable lifestyle gui...

Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries can soon access best cancer care from network of specialists

NEW DELHI: Ayushman Bharat beneficiaries will soon be able to seek the best advice from a network of cancer specialists digitally linked across the country, and won’t have to travel long distances to consult an expert.
The National Health Authority is in talks to partner with the ...

Jubilant Life Sciences on Friday said it has been cautioned by the US health regulator that its Nanjangud facility in Mysore, may be subject to regulatory action and that the USFDA may withhold approval of any pending applications or supplements in which this facility is listed.
Jubilan...

Pharma MNCs wary of illegal import of innovator drugs

Hyderabad: Multinational pharmaceutical companies are crying foul over the illegal import of innovator drugs worth crores of rupees into the Indian market from neighbouring countries and sold by pharmacies, distributors and websites.
The Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India...

NEW DELHI: Drug major LupinNSE 0.82 % Saturday said it has been cautioned by the US health regulator that its Somerset (New Jersey) facility may be subject to regulatory or administrative action and that it may withhold approval of any pending applications or supplements in which this facility is...

Cold wave across US to bring big business for Indian drug companies

The cold wave in the US may bring big business for domestic pharma firms. The cold conditions there have resulted in spike in flu cases. Companies such as Cadila Healthcare, Lupin, and Natco, which sell generic versions of flu medication (Oseltamivir) in the US market, are likely to benefit.
...

Suven Life Sciences to set up subsidiary in US to infuse $75 million

NEW DELHI: Suven Life Sciences Saturday said it will create a wholly-owned subsidiary in the US and will infuse USD 75 million (about Rs 525 crore) in its new business.
The board of directors at its meeting held on Saturday has taken on record the approval for creation of wholly o...

GST relief for pharma samples discount offers

NEW DELHI: Many businesses have been grappling with basic questions on discounts and freebies. Does a free toothbrush with a tube of toothpaste attract GST? Or, how much GST will be levied on a charger that is part of a pack of mobile phone purchased by customers?
Close to two years aft...

Whistleblower says Sun Pharma gave doctors gifts through a subsidiary

A whistleblower has alleged that Sun PharmaNSE 0.86 % Ltd used its subsidiary Aditya Medisales Ltd (AML) to give gifts — including personalised websites and online promotion — to doctors in violation of pharma industry guidelines.
Conversations with the whistleblower, as wel...

US FDA chiefs exit could impact Indian pharma

The abrupt exit of the US FDA commissioner Scott Gottlieb after a nearly 2-year stint under the Trump administration throws Indian pharma into uncertainty on what would be the stance of the next commissioner on generics drug pricing, pace of approvals and regulatory inspections.
India, ...

Biocon gets 6 observations from USFDA after inspection of its Bengaluru plant

Biotechnology major Biocon Wednesday said the US health regulator has issued six observations in Form 483 after pre-approval inspection of its insulin drug substance manufacturing facility in Bengaluru. The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) concluded a pre-approval inspection of ...

India requires pragmatic compulsive licensing system Cipla

The government needs to have a compulsive licensing system for essential drugs and look at locally manufacturing non-patented medicines, Cipla chairman Y K Hamied said Wednesday.
"For healthcare what India requires is a pragmatic compulsive licensing system. My own reading is what ...

Ayushman Mitra can be brought under national health agency payroll: Think tank associated with BJP

Volunteers appointed to assist patients under the Ayushman Bharat scheme could be brought under its payroll to fix a direct accountability, according to recommendations of a think tank associated with the BJP. The Public Policy Research Centre conducted an assessment of first phase of implementat...

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals gets USFDA nod for hypertension drug

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Tuesday said it has received final approval from the US health regulator for Telmisartan and Hydrochlorothiazide tablets, used to treat high blood pressure (hypertension).
The approved products is a generic version of Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals Inc's Mic...

Government plans to colour code generic drugs

NEW DELHI: In a move to promote low-cost generic medicines, the government plans to colour code such drugs to enable consumers to differentiate between generic medicines and other drugs and take an informed decision while purchasing them from chemists. Apart from colour coding, the government is ...

Scientists may have found a solution that can put an end to drug injections

Here was the challenge for bioengineers: Find a way for patients to take drugs — like insulin or monoclonal antibodies used to treat cancers and other diseases — without injections.
The medicines are made of molecules too big to be absorbed through the stomach or intestines; in an...

Fortis Healthcare appoints Ashutosh Raghuvanshi as CEO

NEW DELHI: Fortis HealthcareNSE 0.33 % Thursday said it has appointed Ashutosh Raghuvanshi as the Chief Executive Officer of the company effective from March 18, 2019.
He will replace Bhavdeep Singh as the CEO of the company.
"Prior to joining Fortis, Dr Raghuvanshi was a...

Shares of Sun Pharmaceuticals were trading 5 per cent higher at Rs 436 on the BSE in intra-day trade on Thursday after its US subsidiary Taro Pharmaceutical reported strong results for the quarter ended December 2018.
Taro Pharmaceuticals posted net sales of $176.4 million, an increase of $20...

United Healthcare Services files complaint against Dr Reddys US arm

New Delhi: Dr Reddy's Laboratories Wednesday said United Healthcare Services has filed a complaint against its US-based arm and some other entities, alleging a price fixing conspiracy to rig bids and allocate customers with respect to 30 drugs.
The US-based insurance firm United Hea...

Strides Pharma Science gets EIR for Bangalore facility

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Strides Pharma Science Wednesday said it has received the Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) from the US health regulator for its formulations facility in Bangalore.
"The company's formulations facility (KRSG Gardens) in Bangalore which was inspected by the US...

Drugmaker Lupin Ltd posted a surprise quarterly loss on Wednesday after taking a one-time charge related to litigation over a blood pressure drug.
Lupin made a provision of Rs 342 crore ($47.7 million) after the General Court of the European Union in December upheld a 2014 European Commission...

1,000 swine flu cases in Delhi this year hospitals report 13 deaths

One death due to swine flu and 124 fresh cases of Influenza A (H1N1) was Tuesday recorded in Delhi, taking the total number of people affected by the disease in the city this year to 1019, according to a report.
The city had recorded 895 positive cases of swine flu till Monday, which included...

NEW DELHI: Indian drug makers are shifting focus from their once lucrative generics medicines to specialty drugs amid continued price erosion in its biggest market, the US.
The focus on specialty medicines has been accelerated by measures taken by the Food and Drug Administration of the US (U...

TPG Growth, the growth capital investment arm of US-based private equity giant TPG, has said it will invest $30 million in Solara Active Pharma, a manufacturer of active pharmaceutical ingredients (API).
Solara has a network of customers including several top global generic companies in the U...

This test can spot all types of cancers in 10 min

In a major breakthrough, scientists from the University of Queensland in Australia have claimed success in developing a simple a 10-minute test to detect all types of cancer.
It involves taking blood sample of the patient and examining the pattern of molecules called methyl g...

NEW DELHI: Drones may soon be able to beat Indian cities’ notorious traffic and ensure speedy transportation of organs between hospitals, a possibility without creating green corridors or special road routes. Union minister of state for aviation Jayant Sinha said the authorities concerned, ...

Faulty medical devices Patients can seek compensation

NEW DELHI: Indian patients suffering due to faulty medical devices may soon be empowered to demand compensation for health problems caused by such products from the company making or importing them.
Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB), the country’s apex drugs advisor...

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Jubilant Life Sciences Thursday said its subsidiary Drug Discovery and Development Solutions Ltd (DDDSL) Singapore has entered into an agreement to acquire 10 per cent stake in Inipharm Inc USA for around USD 28.5 million (over Rs 199 crore).
T...

Government plans database of drugs to prevent use of similar brand names

NEW DELHI: The government is considering a databank for all medicine brands to prevent pharmaceutical companies from using the same or similar looking and sounding brand names for drugs, especially those used to treat different conditions, senior officials close to the development said.
...

Medicines may soon have gluten labelling on packaging

New Delhi: Drugmakers may be asked to declare on their packagings whether a medicine contains gluten, a step that health officials say would provide immediate relief to millions of Indians suffering from celiac disease, an autoimmune disorder in which the body mistakenly reacts to gluten. India&r...

Lupin CFO quits to pursue opportunities outside pharma

MUMBAI: Ramesh Swaminathan, Chief Financial Officer of Lupin Pharma, has quit the company to pursue opportunities outside of pharmaceutical industry, the company said in a statement to the exchanges. Swaminathan was part of Lupin for the last 12 years where he was also a whole time director.&nbsp...

CHENNAI: Apollo Hospitals Enterprise today announced its foray into Kerala by signing an Operations and Management contract relating to a 250 bedded super-speciality hospital in the town of Angamaly, the northernmost suburb of Kochi, with the Adlux Group as infrastructure partners. Apollo Hospita...

Amway enters herbals space

NEW DELHI: The India arm of the $8.6 billion direct selling company Amway Corp, which sells a range of personal care and household products, has entered the rapidly growing herbals skincare market, its first such brand in the category.
“We are watching this space very c...

There will be huge change in healthcare sector if more people donate organs Ashiwini Kumar Choubey

NEW DELHI: Union minister Ashiwini Kumar Choubey said on Tuesday if more individuals decide to donate their organs it will bring a huge change in the country's healthcare sector and many lives can be saved.
The Union minister of State for Health and Family Welfare was add...

Sun Pharma to acquire Japans Pola Pharma for $1 million

New Delhi: Sun Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd has bought Japanese drugmaker Pola Pharma Inc. for $1 million as part of plans to strengthen its global presence in dermatology, the Dilip Shanghvi-promoted pharma major said on Monday.
Part of Pola Orbis group, Pola Pharma is engaged in...

Lupin gets USFDA nod for antidepressant drug

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Lupin Monday said it has received approvals from the US health regulator for its Clomipramine Hydrochloride capsules, and Potassium Chloride for oral solution.
The company has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to market it...

Alembic Pharma gets USFDA nod for Alembic Pharma

NEW DELHI: Alembic Pharmaceuticals Monday said its joint venture Aleor Dermaceuticals has received approval from the US health regulator for Xylocaine ointment, used for temporary relief of pain associated with minor burns, including sunburn, abrasions of the skin and insect bites.
&quo...

New Delhi: Drug inspectors working to unearth the mystery behind the contamination of polio vaccines have found nothing amiss at the Indonesian bulk-manufacturer, said two people aware of the matter, bringing the spotlight back to the Indian firm that supplied the final vaccine to an official imm...

Gujarat tops in implementing Ayushman Bharat

NEW DELHI: Two months after the launch of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, Gujarat has emerged as the top performer of the Centre’s ambitious health financing scheme. As of November 23, the Prime Minister’s home state accounted for around 26% of the total number of ho...

77 percent Indian households use Ayurvedic products PwC report

Increased emphasis on lifestyle and wellness, driven by a rise in non-communicable and chronic diseases, is driving the demand for Ayurveda in India, according to a report by Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC)
The report said 77 per cent of Indian ho...

Apollo Hospitals a $2 billion health empire run by four sisters makes a comeback

Mumbai: Next to Suneeta Reddy’s desk in the executive suite of Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd hangs an icon of Hinduism’s many-armed warrior goddess Durga, who Reddy prays to each morning. The deity’s presence seems fitting at a company run by four women engineering an aggressi...

Apollo Hospitals to hive off retail pharmacy business into new company

CHENNAI: As a part of its restructuring exercise, Apollo Hospitals Enterprise on Wednesday said that it is divesting its front-end pharmacy business to Apollo Pharmacy for a lump sum cash consideration of Rs 527.8 crores.
Apollo Pharmacy (APL) will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Apollo...

IHH Healthcare completes Fortis deal by acquiring 31percent stake

New Delhi: Malaysia’s IHH Healthcare Bhd has become the controlling shareholder of Fortis Healthcare Ltd by acquiring a 31.1% stake in the company. Fortis Healthcare also appointed four persons from IHH Healthcare to its board in a meeting held at Mohali on Tuesday. The board approved the a...

Suven Life gets product patents from Australia Hong Kong

NEW DELHI: Suven Life Sciences Tuesday said it has been granted a product patent each by Australia and Hong Kong for a new chemical entity (NCE) for the treatment of disorders associated with neuro-degenerative diseases.
These patents are valid till 2036 and 2033 respectively, the compa...

IHH CEO Tan See Leng to join Fortis board

IHH Bhd chief executive officer Tan See Leng is expected to join the board of Fortis Healthcare today following the Malaysian healthcare group's purchase of shares worth Rs 4,000 crore in India's second largest hospital chain, ET has learnt.
IHH, which is taking charge of Fortis...

Lupin gets EIR from USFDA for its Nagpur facility

Drug firm Lupin said on Monday that it has received an establishment inspection report (EIR) from the US health regulator post the inspection of its Nagpur facility.
"The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) conducted a pre approval inspection for its Phenytoin Sodium...

Zydus Cadila gets USFDA nod for antifungal ointment

Zydus Cadila Monday said it has received final approval from the US health regulator to market Nystatin and Triamcinolone Acetonide Ointment, used in the treatment of fungal skin infections.
Cadila has received the final approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFD...

Drug major Cipla Monday said it has received final approval from the US health regulator for Valganciclovir tablets, used in the treatment of viral eye infection in AIDS patients.
Valganciclovir tablets are used in the treatment cytomegalovirus infection (serious viral eye infection of ...

Foundation stone of cancer hospital laid in Ranchi

The foundation stone of a cancer hospital, being set up by the Jharkhand government with assistance from the Tata Trusts, was laid on November 10.
The Ranchi Cancer Hospital and Research Center will come up within 12 to 18 months.
State Chief Minister Raghubar Das and Tata Trusts Chairman...

Pharma lobby for hiking cost of drugs under govt price control

New Delhi: A sharp rise in prices of commonly used drug raw materials from China has prompted a pharmaceutical industry lobby to seek higher retail prices of medicines that are under government price control. The group has warned that failure to do so may lead to a shortage of medicines.
With...

IIT Roorkee researchers make headway in cancer therapy

Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Roorkee researchers have developed fluorescent carbon nanodots that can serve as “theranostic” (therapeutic and diagnostic) agents for cancer.
Led by P Gopinath, a team of IIT Roorkee researchers, have developed nanosized (having ...

NEW DELHI: Clinical trials on Ayurvedic medicine against dengue are in progress and it will be launched at the earliest possible time, Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik said Sunday.
Rajesh Kotecha, secretary of AYUSH ministry, said the medicine is expected to be rea...

New Delhi: The Indian unit of global pharma giant Johnson and Johnson () Pvt. Ltd will initiate a new “India-specific” reimbursement programme for those Indian patients who have been affected by its Acetabular Surface Replacement (ASR), or hip implants, the company has told the govern...

NPPA fixes retail price of 68 drug formulations

New Delhi: Drug price regulator NPPA Friday fixed prices as well as revised ceiling and retail prices of 68 formulations, including those used for treatment of diabetes, blood pressure and HIV.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said while the retail price of 55 sche...

True North in talks to buy into Glenmarks API biz for Rs 1500 cr

MUMBAI: Private equity firm True North Capital is in advance talks with Glenmark Pharmaceuticals to buy upto 20 percent stake in the active pharmaceuticals ingredient (API) business of the Mumbai-based firm for about Rs 1200 crore - 1500 crore, in what could be yet another investment in India&rsq...

Pharma exports up 3 pc to 17.3 billion dollars in 2017 18

India's pharmaceutical exports grew merely 3 per cent to USD 17.3 billion in 2017-18 due to increasing regulatory concerns and pricing pressures in the global markets, including the US. The sector's exports in 2016-17 had declined to USD 16.7 billion as against USD 16.9 billion in the pre...

Indias spending on health sector has grown Nadda

India's expenditure on the health sector has risen from 1.2 per cent of the GDP in 2013-14 to 1.4 per cent in 2017-18, Health Minister J P Nadda said today.
He was addressing the concern of members of the Rajya Sabha about the low share of funds spent on healthcare as a percentage o...

Telangana plans countrys first biopharma hub

Telangana government proposes to set up India’s first Biopharma-Hub to provide support to the biopharma research and development activities, featuring a scaleup manufacturing facility and a turnkey incubator/ lab space module.
The proposed facility, spread across 40,000 square fee...

Governments drug price caps may trigger showdown with US

MUMBAI: US pharma biggies are at the receiving end of the Donald Trump administration’s ire due to rising drug prices in that country, and this may cause anxiety for the Indian government as well as domestic generic companies. Unlike in the past, Washington is increasingly putting the blame...

TPG Capital to buy into Sai Life Sciences

MUMBAI: TPG Capital said on Wednesday it will acquire a significant minority stake in Hyderabad-based Sai Life SciencesNSE 0.33 %, in what could be seen as renewed interest in India’s pharma and life-sciences space from large foreign institutional investors.
Though both companies ...

Oxytocin ban Drug makers report panic buying by hospitals

MUMBAI: The government’s decision to restrict the production and sale of oxytocin, a crucial hormone used on pregnant women for the induction of labour and stall postpartum bleeding, has sent hospitals to a panic buying mode, industry executives said, even as at least one manufacturer has a...

Working group may vet plan to check fake drugs

NEW DELHI: India’s central drug regulator is creating a working group to critically appraise its proposal to set up a “trace and track” mechanism to weed out fake medicines from the market using unique codes.
The working group, comprising pharmaceutical association rep...

Panel recommends ban on 343 fixed dose combination medicines

NEW DELHI: In a move that could potentially deliver a big blow to pharmaceutical companies in India, an apex advisory board on drugs approved a report backing the health ministry’s decision to ban many fixed dose combination (FDC) medicines.
The report, prepared by a sub-committee...

AstraZeneca sues DRL on patent

AstraZeneca has filed a lawsuit in the Delhi High Court against Indian drug maker Dr Reddy’s Laboratories to block it from launching generic versions of Brilinta, its blockbuster medicine for heart ailments.
The UK biopharmaceutical company claims potential launch of copies infrin...

BEIJING: India and China have reached an agreement on reduction of tariffs on the import of Indian medicines, particularly cancer drugs, to China, the Foreign Ministry said here today, days after a Chinese movie on a leukaemia patient highlighted the need for paving the way for import of cheap In...

Glenmark inks pact with Seqirus to commercialise Ryaltris in Australia, New Zealand

New Delhi:Glenmark Pharma on Friday said its subsidiary Glenmark Specialty has entered into an exclusive licensing agreement with Australia’s Seqirus to commercialise its nasal spray Ryaltris in Australia and New Zealand.
Ryaltris is indicated for treatment of symptoms associated with s...

Tamil Nadu to come up with new pharma policy; industry welcomes move

Tamil Nadu, which has been losing out to neighbouring states in its position among the major pharma manufacturing hubs, is expected to launch a new pharmaceutical manufacturing policy to attract the industry.
This is at a time when the Goods and Services Tax (GST) implementation has almost...

Hospitals may face more pricing restrictions Icra

MUMBAI: Regulatory overhang on the hospitals sector is likely to persist, with further pricing restriction expected on products and services in the future, according to rating agency Icra.
The hospitals sector has been under the regulatory scanner lately with the National Pharmace...

Unichem Labs gets USFDA nod for asthma drug

Drug firm Unichem Laboratories today said it has received final approval from the US health regulator for its Montelukast chewable tablets used for prevention and treatment of asthma.
The company has received final abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) approval from the United States ...

Suven Life gets product patents from India S. Korea and Singapore

Suven Life Sciences today said it has been granted a product patent by India, Singapore, South Korea and Israel each for a new chemical entity (NCE) used in treatment of disorders associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
These patents are valid through 2031, 2034, 2034 and 2036 respe...

Pharma exports see double digit growth after a gap of three years

After a gap of three years Indian pharmaceutical exports are seeing a double digit growth in value terms starting this financial year, driven by a surge in exports across all the major destinations in the world, according to Pharmaceutical Export Promotion Council (Pharmexcil).
In contr...

Government plans to cap drug prices at first point of sale

NEW DELHI: The government is considering a proposal to make essential medicines more affordable by capping prices at the first ‘point of sale’ rather than retail price — a move intended to curb margins offered to hospitals, distributors and doctors to push particular brands.&nbs...

New J&J TB drug not without side effects: Sir John Walker

LINDAU, GERMANY: A newly launched tuberculosis drug for the treatment of multi drug resistant TB (MDRTB) might not be without side effects and governments should be cautious while administering the drug, Nobel Laureate Sir John Walker told ETin an interview.
The 1997 Nobel winner in che...

Dr Reddys gets EIR from USFDA for 2 units at Medak in Telangana

New Delhi: Drug firm Dr Reddy’s Laboratories on Thursday said it has received establishment inspection report (EIR) from the US health regulator for its two units at Medak district in Telangana.
In an earlier filing to the bourses on 9 March, the drug firm had said it had received five ...

Lupin Mylan team up for biosimilar Etanercept

MUMBAI: US drug maker Mylan and India's Lupin 0.93 % have come together to market the biosimilar drug Etanercept in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Asia as both the companies look at expanding their presence in the next wave of drug business. Etanercept is indicated to treat certain autoim...

NITI Aayog to set up subgroup to study treatment pricing under Ayushman Bharat

NEW DELHI: Niti Aayog will soon set up a sub-group to look into the complaints of private hospitals regarding pricing of treatment of key ailments proposed by the government under the Prime Minister's flagship health insurance scheme Ayushman Bharat.
The government has come out with...

Genomic tests for cancer split oncologists

MUMBAI: Some of India’s leading oncologists have raised doubts over the utility of the tests like Oncotype DX genomic test, which assesses how a cancer is likely to respond to treatment, saying it increases the cost of treatment without yielding clear benefits while others have expressed th...

Oxytocin formulations ban to come into effect from July 1

From July 1, no private manufacturer will be allowed to manufacture Oxytocin for domestic use.
Oxytocin is a naturally-occurring hormone that causes uterine contractions during labour and helps new mothers lactate.
But its misuse is widespread in the dairy industry where livestock ...

India launches its first national healthcare facility registry

New Delhi: The Union ministry of health and family welfare on Tuesday launched the National Health Resource Repository (NHRR), the first ever registry in the country registry of authentic, standardised and updated geo-spatial data of all public and private healthcare. The Indian Space Research Or...

USFDA approves first product from Glenmarks US plant

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals today said the US health regulator has approved the first product from its Monroe, North Carolina based manufacturing facility.
The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has provided its first supplemental Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) approval for t...

Government to create a census of 20 lakh healthcare facilities by September

New Delhi: The health ministry on Tuesday launched an exercise to create a census of over 20 lakh healthcare professionals and facilities, which is supposed to be completed by September. The resulting repository is expected to not only map the geographical locations of these facilities, but also ...

Lupin Japans NichiI ko tie up to distribute biosimilar drug

New Delhi: Lupin Ltd, India’s third-largest drug maker, on Monday said it has tied up with Japan’s Nichi-Iko for the distribution, promotion and sale of Lupin’s recently filed biosimilar Etanercept in Japan.
Etanercept is used for the treatment of several auto immune disease...

Cancer can be defeated if we work together

Maharashtra witnesses approximately 130,000 new cancer cases annually, and ranks second nationally in its incidence, behind Uttar Pradesh. The Tata Memorial Hospital (TMH) alone receives 40,000 new cases annually from across India. Further, mortality due to cancer remains excessively high with de...

Novo Nordisks oral diabetes drug beats Jardiance in study

LONDON/COPENHAGEN: Novo Nordisk said data from a large final-stage study of a pill it hopes will transform the diabetes market proved better at lowering blood sugar levels than Eli Lilly and Boehringer Ingelheim's established Jardiance.
The success of the oral form of the drug, known gene...

Glenmark Pharma launches generic version of asthma drug in Denmark

NEW DELHI: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals 2.17 % Europe Ltd has launched a generic version of Seretide Accuhaler, used to treat asthma, in Denmark.
The product was developed by Celon Pharma and Glenmark has marketing and distribution rights for the product across 15 European countries.
...

World Health Organisation publishes its first essential diagnostics list

NEW DELHI; The World Health Organisation (WHO) has published its first 'essential diagnostics list', a catalogue of tests needed to diagnose the most common conditions as well as a number of global priority diseases.
The step was taken to address the problem of people's inab...

USFDA completes inspection of Lupin s Nagpur plant

New Delhi: Pharma major Lupin today said the US health regulator has completed inspection of its Nagpur facility without making any observations.
In a BSE filing, Lupin "announced successful completion of an inspection carried out by the United States Food and Drug Administration (...

Govt planning unique codes to check menace of fake medicines

New Delhi: India’s highest advisory body on drugs will discuss a mechanism to end the menace of fake medicines at a meeting on 16 May.
According to the proposal to be discussed at the Drug Technical Advisory Board meeting, consumers will be able to check whether the medicines that they ...

Aurobindo Pharmas arm recalls 2 antibiotic injections from US

AuroMedics Pharma LLC, a US subsidiary of Aurobindo Pharma Ltd,has initiated voluntary recall of two lots each of two injections from the US market followingcustomer complaintsabout presence of particles in the vial.
The fresh recall follows a recent withdrawal of over 1.5 million injec...

China s plans to import Indian drugs fail to enthuse Indian pharmaceutical firms

China much-publicised announcement to slash tariffs on 28 medicines, including cancer drugs from India, has failed to create any buzz among the Indian pharmaceutical firmshere as exports to China are possible only after lengthy field trials and approvals, which could take years, an official at an...

Myth debunked Save rather than buy a health plan

Insurance is the most economical method to manage risk. We are not sure of what our health status will be next year and who in our family might be the next person to get hospitalised.
Health insurance brings certainty of payment for our hospitalisation expenses while there is uncertainty on w...

Cabinet extends scheme to strengthen health care infrastructure

New Delhi: In a major boost to expansion of health care infrastructure in the country, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved the continuation of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) beyond 12th Five Year Plan to 2019-20.
The PMSSY, which is a central sector scheme, aims at co...

Cipla gets USFDA nod for generic equivalents of Vazculep Aromasin

New Delhi: Drug major Cipla has received final approval from the US health regulator for generic equivalent of Avadel’s Vazculep, West Ward Pharm Corp’s Phenylephrine Hydrochloride injection and Pfizer’s Aromasin.
In a regulatory filing, Cipla said “it has received fin...

Abbott discontinues Xience Alpine stents in India

New Delhi: The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) on Thursday permitted Abbott Healthcare Pvt Ltd to discontinue selling its premium metallic stent Xience Alpine Premium from the Indian market.
Rattled by the regulatory intervention on stent prices, the US healthcare giant had a...

Indian scientists using artificial intelligence to predict early onset of Alzheimers

New Delhi: Indian scientists are using artificial intelligence (AI) to develop a smart diagnostics system to predict the onset of Alzheimer’s disease early.
Professor Pravat Mandal and his group at the National Brain Research Centre (NBRC), and Neuroimaging and Neurospectroscopy Laborat...

Manipal TPG combine submits revised offer for Fortis Healthcare

A day ahead of the bidding deadline for control of Fortis Heathcare Ltd, the Manipal Hospital Enterprises Ltd-TPG Capital combine submitted a revised bid offering to infuse Rs750 crore upfront and a new deal structure that would help mitigate the indebtedness at the firm. The combine also offered...

Glenmark gets USFDA nod for skin ointment

New Delhi: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday said it has received final approval from the US health regulator for Tacrolimus ointment used for treating atopic dermatitis (eczema).
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Inc. USA has been granted final approval by the United States Food and Drug Administ...

Fosun joins bidding race for Fortis, offers to invest Rs2,300 crore

Mumbai: Chinese healthcare firm Fosun Health Holdings Ltd late on Tuesday submitted an unsolicited non-binding offer to the board of Fortis Healthcare Ltd to acquire its hospital assets, further intensifying competition among the bidders.
A subsidiary of Fosun International Ltd, listed on the...

AstraZeneca to invest $90 million in India over next 5 years

New Delhi: Biopharmaceutical firm AstraZeneca today said it will invest USD 90 million (around Rs 590 crore) in India over the next five years.
The announcement follows signing of a bilateral innovation partnership for a sustainable future between Sweden and India, AstraZeneca said in a...

Aster DM Healthcare to construct Rs 400 crore hospital in Chennai

KOCHI: Aster DM Healthcare, a leading healthcare service provider in India and in GCC with presence in 9 countries, has entered into an agreement with Subramanya Constructions & Development Company Limited (SCDC), to construct a new hospital in Chennai.
This 500 bedded, multi-specia...

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) says India is exper disease by 202cted to register over 17 lakh new cases of cancer and over 8 lakh deaths because of the kille0.
East and North-East India are not immune to this fact and are reporting substantial number of cancer cases, acc...

Lupin gets EIR from USFDA for Pithampur facility

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Lupin 3.64 % today said it has received an Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) from the US health regulator for its Pithampur, Unit 1 manufacturing facility in Madhya Pradesh.
The inspection was conducted in July 2017, it said in a BSE filing.
USFDA give...

India to overhaul drug price control system

New Delhi: The government is planning to overhaul the existing system of fixing drug prices in the country.
The matter will be discussed at a meeting on 10 April at the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with experts from central government think tank NITI Aayog, the department of pharmaceut...

Lupin to go for restructuring of its domestic business in FY19

New Delhi: Drugmaker Lupin Ltd plans to focus on chronic therapies, explore in-licensing opportunities and restructure its domestic business in the year ahead, a top company executive said.
Lupin, like other drugmakers, has suffered from the rollout of goods and services tax (GST) and price r...

Roche launches new lung bladder cancer drug in India

New Delhi: Global pharma major Roche on Wednesday said it has launched monoclonal antibody atezolizumab under the brand name Tecentriq in India for treatment of lung and bladder cancer.
Tecentriq has shown to extend survival and improve the quality of life in the approved indications, Roche s...

US may revoke special tariff if India continues pricing control on medical devices

The US Trade Representative (USTR) is considering to revoke special tariff provided to India if it continues with its pricing policy on medical devices manufactured by American companies, two people aware of the development told ET.
The USTR representatives, who are expected to visit In...

Getting rid of tuberculosis

Global consumption of antibiotics increased by 65% between 2000 and 2015, according to a study by Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the US. The growth has been especially high in India, which has doubled its antibiotic consumption. In light of the rising global concerns about dru...

ChrysCapital set to acquire 10percent in Mankind for $350 million

ChrysCapital, along with lirtnmited paers GIC of Singapore and CPPIB of Canada, is set to write the largest private equity cheque in the Indian pharmaceutical space as it finalises a $350-million investment in Mankind Pharmaceuticals for a 10% stake, said people directly aware of the matter. If i...

Dr Reddys launches generic nausea drug in US

Dr Reddy's Laboratories today said it has launched Palonosetron Hydrochloride Injection, used in treating acute nausea and vomiting, in the US market.
The Hyderabad-based firm launched the product after getting approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Dr Reddy's Labs...

Metropolis Healthcare plans to add 800 centres 10 labs by FY19 end

NEW DELHI: Diagnostic chain Metropolis Healthcare is planning to add 800 collection centres and around 10 laboratories by the end of next fiscal, a top company official has said.
The company currently has 150 labs with 1,800 collection centres and processes over 4,500 varieties of tests...

Alembic Pharma gets 3 observations from USFDA for Gujarat plant

New Delhi: Alembic Pharmaceuticals Ltd on Wednesday said that the US health regulator has made three observations after inspecting its formulation facility in Panelav, Gujarat.
“The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has conducted an inspection at Alembic Pharmaceuticals...

Dr Reddys launches allergy relief tablets in US

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Dr Reddy's Laboratories has launched levocetirizine dihydrochloride tablets, used for relieving allergies, in the US market.
In a BSE filing, Dr Reddy's Laboratories said it had "launched levocetirizine dihydrochloride tablets USP, 5 mg, an over-the-cou...

CDSCO to create forum to discuss various issues pertaining to drug regulations

NEW DELHI: India's apex drug regulator has decided to constitute a forum for its chief to meet pharma associations regularly as part of efforts to improve ease of doing business for the country's pharmaceutical industry.
Two representatives of each association will be invited ev...

Bayer Pharmaceuticals committed to India growth to push for more R&D

SINGAPORE: India continues to be one of the key markets for Bayer 1.09 % Pharmaceuticals in Asia Pacific region and it plans to continue its clinical research here, a senior company official said.
"Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region for Bayer's pharmaceuticals sales glo...

Johnson & Johnson Mylan propose ways to cut TB drugs prices in India

Johnson & Johnson and Mylan have proposed measures expected to make their multi-drug resistant tuberculosis medicines available in India at lower rates to ensure patients continue to get access to them after free supplies to the country are stopped, people familiar with the matter said. ...

Indian drug maker Unichem Laboratories 1.39 % has come under the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority’s scanner for allegedly launching six medicines for the treatment of high blood pressure years before it asked the pricing regulator to fix their retail prices. The regulator has also ...

Strides Shasun gets USFDA nod for HIV treatment drug

NEW DELHI: Strides Shasun today said it has received approval from the US health regulator for its generic Efavirenz tablet used for treatment of HIV Type-1 infected adults and adolescents.
The approval granted to the company's wholly-owned subsidiary Strides Pharma Global Pte by th...

Pharmacies may soon have separate shelf for generics

New Delhi: The government is planning to make it mandatory for pharmacies to display generic medicines conspicuously on separate shelves so that consumers can opt for low-cost alternatives to expensive branded drugs.
The Drugs Technical Advisory Board (DTAB) “agreed to keep a separate r...

Health sector could create jobs on massive scale: Public Health Foundation of India

Healh sector can create jobs on a massive scale, particularly at the level of frontline health workers and others, but training and skilling the job aspirants is important, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) President K Srinath Reddy has said.
Citing a UN report of September, 2016...

Jan Aushadhi stores to sell sanitary pads at a third of market price

In a move to improve menstrual hygiene practices in India, the government will offer sanitary pads at all of its Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana stores from May-end. Not only are these pads, branded 'Suvidha', expected to be a third the price of napkins currently available ...

Microsoft, Apollo Hospitals join hands to improve cardiac care

NEW DELHI: Microsoft has partnered healthcare major Apollo Hospitals to create an artificial intelligence-focused network in cardiology.
The partnership between Microsoft and Apollo will work to develop and deploy new machine learning models to predict patient risk for heart disease and...

8 Indian women billionaires in Forbes list

New Delhi: Eight Indian women have featured in this year’s Forbes list of the world’s richest people. Forbes’s 2018 World’s Billionaires List includes a total of 256 women billionaires—an all-time high.
The collective net worth of the women billionaires in the li...

Regulator plans single window system for new drug approvals

New Delhi: In a move aimed at boosting the Make in India initiative, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) proposes to set up a single-window facility for innovators and start-ups seeking consents, approvals and information.
DCGI plans a separate public relations (PR) office which can b...

WHO invites applications from drug companies for pre qualification of MDR TB drugs

MUMBAI: The World Health Organization on Wednesday invited drug companies to submit expression of interest to manufacture Bedaquiline and Delamanid-- the two new drugs for treating multi drug resistant Tuberculosis.
Bedaquiline, sold under the brand name Serturu by Janseen (a subsidiary...

Mumbai: Torrent Pharmaceuticals Ltd is readying a €2 billion (Rs16,000 crore) bid for Zentiva N.V., the generic drugs unit of France’s Sanofi, two people directly aware of the bidding process said.
If Ahmedabad-based Torrent is successful, it will be the biggest outbound transactio...

Carlyle, Advent to submit bids for stake in Mankind Pharma

Mumbai: Private equity funds Carlyle Group and Advent International are poised to submit binding offers to buy a minority stake in Mankind Pharma Ltd, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The bids will value the maker of Manforce condoms and pregnancy test kit PregaNews in the ra...

MedGenome raises funds from HDFC group firms

Mumbai: MedGenome Labs, a genomics research and diagnostics start-up, on Monday said it had raised funds from HDFC Ltd, HDFC Standard Life Insurance Co. Ltd and HDFC Asset Management Co. Ltd to complete a series C funding round of $40 million.
In October last year, MedGenome said it had raise...

Apax leads race for Rs 2,600 crore sutures deal

MUMBAI: Buyout investor Apax Partners has emerged as the front runner to acquire India’s largest surgical and wound care products maker Healthium Medtech(formerly Sutures India) in a deal estimated at around $400 million, or Rs 2,600 crore, two people directly aware of the matter said. Majo...

Imaging equipment such as CT scanners may be brought under drugs Act

New Delhi: Imaging and endoscopic equipment like ultrasound machines, CT scanners, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and X-Ray machines are to be brought under the purview of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act so that the government can regulate their import, manufacture and sale.
The Central Drugs S...

Cipla ties up with Roche to sell two key drugs in India

New Delhi: Drug firm Cipla Ltd and Roche Pharma India has said that they have entered an agreement under which Cipla will promote and distribute tocilizumab and Syndyma, the 2nd brand of Roche’s cancer therapy bevacizumab in India.
This partnership is in line with Cipla and Roche’...

Hetero launches HIV treatment drug in India

New Delhi: Drug firm Hetero on Tuesday said it has launched generic anti-retroviral fixed-dose combination (FDC) of Emtricitabine (200mg) and Tenofovir Alafenamide (25mg) in India.
The product has been approved by Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) and will be marketed and distributed un...

Lupin launches generic Axiron topical solution in US

New Delhi: Drug firm Lupin on Monday said it has launched its testosterone topical solution in the American market.
The company has launched Testosterone Topical Solution, 30 mg per actuation, in the US after receiving approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA), Lupi...

Explore new opportunities, Suresh Prabhu tells pharma industry

Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Suresh Prabhu has asked the Indian pharma industry to look at future opportunities within the country and abroad. With life expectancy going up and life-style diseases increasing, opportunities for the industry are immense as people will have to spend on me...

Price control on stents to continue: Govt

The goverment today said it will continue with the price cap on life-saving coronary stents and asked the industry to be ready to meet the demand for medical devices once the mega health insurance plan is rolled out.
Earlier this year, the government had revised the ceiling prices for b...

Brinton pharma in talks with VCs to raise up to Rs 150 crore

MUMBAI: Tata Capital Healthcare Fund-backed Brinton Pharma is looking to raise Rs 120-150 crore in a follow on round and is in talks with venture capital funds to raise cash that would primarily be used to expand the company’s geographic footprint, said three people with direct knowledge of...

Aurobindo Pharma eyes European business of Apotex

Aurobindo Pharma has expressed early stage interest in the European business of the $1.7-billion privately held Canadian drugmaker Apotex. Known for its highprofile litigations in the US against MNC pharma players, Apotex has put on the block its European operations as part of a wider consolidati...

Surat firm aims to topple Abbott to become number one stent maker

Surat-based SMT (Sahajanand Medical Technologies), the number 2 player in the Indian market for stents after Abbott Healthcare, hopes to capture the pole position in two to three years.
The company is banking on a randomised clinical study conducted over 1,500 patients in Europe (in which hal...

Govt to bring major changes in Drug Pricing Control Order

The government will bring in major changes in the Drug Pricing Control Order (DPCO) and come out with a new pharma policy to implement "Namocare" across the country, Union Minister Ananth Kumar said on Thursday.
Addressing the inaugural session of the India Pharma and Medical Device...

MediAssist in talks with PEs to raise up to Rs 250 crore ahead of IPO

Private equity fund Bessemer Venture Partners and IDFC-backed Medi-Assist Health Services, a healthcare services provider, are in talks with other private equity funds to raise up to ?250 crore towards a pre-IPO fund raise, said three people with direct knowledge of the matter. The company plans ...

Govt may cap trade margins to control drug prices

New Delhi: The government is planning to cap how much drug retailers and wholesalers can earn on medicines they sell in an effort to arrest rising drug prices.
The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has recommended an increase in trade margins, or what wholesalers and retailers earn on the sale ...

NPPA revises stent prices a year after 85 percent cut in costs

India’s drug pricing regulator reworked the prices of coronary stents on Monday—bringing one up marginally and cutting another further—a year after slashing prices by as much as 85%.
The National Pharmaceuticals Pricing Authority (NPPA) brought up the price of bare metal ste...

Bengaluru: Healthcare start-up healthi on Tuesday said it raised $3.1 million in a round of funding led by Montane Ventures, an early-stage venture capital firm associated with the Piramal family office.
Bangalore-based healthi offers preventive healthcare services online through tie-ups with...

Modicare: NHPS could prove to be a bonanza for mid size hospitals

New Delhi: The recently announced National Health Protection Scheme (NHPS) could prove to be a big bonanza for mid-size hospitals when implemented. Under the ambitious scheme, dubbed Modicare, the government has a provision to include hospitals with a staff strength of over 20 fitting into the NH...

Multinational stent makers press for differential pricing of devices

New Delhi: Multinational stent makers pressed for differential pricing of advanced coronary stents before the national drug pricing watchdog on Monday, after a government panel rejected the demand last week.
Last year’s price control on stents—mesh tubes placed in arteries to impr...

Tatas to begin 17 cancer care centres across Assam from 2019

GUWAHATI: Tata Sons chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran today said that the Tata Group will join hands with Assam government to roll out an elaborate cancer care programme across 15 districts of the state from next year.
"Tata group has a long-standing relation with Assam. Assam is v...

Assam for tweaking investment policy for pharma industry

Guwahati: Assam government on Sunday said it is ready to tweak its investment policies to attract the pharmaceutical sector for setting up units in the state.
As there is no specific pharma policy in Assam, the government is ready to tweak the existing norms to suit the industry players of th...

Centre, states need to work together to implement Modicare: Arun Jaitley

New Delhi: To effectively implement the government’s ambitious mega health insurance scheme touted as “Modicare”, the centre and states need to work together under federal institutions like the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Council, finance minister Arun Jaitley said on Friday.
...

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has announced an ambitious National Health Protection Scheme for 10 crore poor families. Rs 5 lakh will be allocated per year for a family. The flagship health care scheme would be the world's largest government-funded health programme, Ayushman Bharat Programme,...

Divis to spend Rs 300 crore on expansion plans in 2018

HYDERABAD: Drug firm Divis Laboratories is focussed on expanding capacities of existing plants, even as its proposed plant at Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh ran into rough weather, a senior official of the city-based drug maker said here today.
The company spent about Rs 400 crore till Decemb...

New nano technology to diagnose and treat cancer

New Delhi: Scientists have come up with a new technology that paves the way for safer and cheaper diagnosis and treatment of cancer.
Under a project funded by the department of biotechnology, scientists have turned nano-particles of calcium phosphate—a bio mineral naturally found in hum...

Govt may tighten labelling norms for generic drugs

In a bid to promote low-cost generic medicines, the health ministry plans to make it mandatory for pharma firms to carry the generic names of drugs in letters that are two font sizes larger than the brand name.
A notification to this effect is likely to come out soon. Once notified under the ...

Mumbai: Leading Indian pharmaceutical companies, struggling to cope with a slowdown in growth and reduced profitability over the last couple of years, are expected to try and tap inorganic opportunities globally in order to increase scale of business and rise above challenges.
The focus of la...

USV, the country's largest manufacturer of oral anti-diabetes drugs, is stepping up focus on biosimilars and niche low-competition products in Europe and the US, as it looks for new growth opportunities to achieve Rs 50 billion (Rs 5,000 crore) revenue in the next five years. It would have an...

WHO awards prequalification to Bharat Bios Rotavirus vaccine

India's vaccine maker Bharat Biotech has announced receiving prequalification from the World Health Organisation (WHO) for its rotavirus vaccine Rotavac, considered the developing world's first rotavirus vaccine.
The vaccine to prevent infant deaths and hospitalisations due to r...

Indian pharma cos get record 300 USFDA generic drug nods

Domestic pharma companies received more than 300 approvals in 2017 to launch generic drugs in the US, which is an all-time high. The clearances came despite regulatory pressure from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and unprecedented warning letters issued to the pharma companies' fa...

Omron Healthcare India eyes 45 percent revenue growth in next year

New Delhi: Japanese medical devices maker Omron Healthcare is targeting around 45 per cent rise in revenues at Rs 189 crore in the next fiscal year aided by expansion in tier-I and tier-II cities.
The company also plans expansion of sales network and use of e-commerce for promoting its produc...

Carlyle Group leads race for 15 per cent in Mankind Pharmaceuticals

MUMBAI: Carlyle Group is leading the race to invest as much as $500 million for a 15% stake in Mankind Pharmaceuticals in what could become one of the largest private equity transactions in the pharma space. The transaction, if it happens, will value the Delhi-based company at about $3.3 billion....

In an interview with ETHealthworld, Vipin Pathak, CEO & Co- Founder, Care24, Mumbai, talks about home healthcare scenario in India and the embedded challenges in this vertical. Edited excerpts:
Healthcare at Home: Trends
We started a journey sometime back, globally if we see the devel...

Accord national priority status to healthcare: Apollo Hospitals

NEW DELHI: Giving national priority status to healthcare and adoption of universal health insurance are some of the important steps required to boost healthcare delivery in the country, Apollo Hospitals said today.
The Budget must acknowledge that quality of healthcare delivery is non-n...

Pharma regulator NPPA warns industry of stricter price action

The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has warned the pharmaceutical industry of stricter price regulation, a move which could weaken sales growth of the sector.
“The pricing regime will be strict than what it is so far. The government is answerable to the people,” N...

CMFRI to expand research to tap pharma prospects of marine life

Kochi: The Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute (CMRI) here has decided to expand research network to tap pharmaceutical prospects of marine organisms, its top scientist said today.
CMFRI Director Dr A Gopalakrishnan said there was a growing demand for new bioactive compounds of marine...

Screening all women for cancer genes may be cost effective

London: Screening all women over 30 years age for breast and ovarian cancer gene mutations can be cost effective and could also prevent more of these cancers than just screening those at genetic high-risk, suggests a study led by an Indian-origin researcher.
The most well-known breast and ova...

Indian pharma majors are rushing to ‘Make in America’

US President Donald Trump's 'Make in America' pledge may have spooked many, but Indian pharmaceutical companies are optimistic.
Several Indian drugmakers that have large operations in the US are now pushing to acquire assets there by either investing in greenfield manufactur...

Torrent Pharma buys US firm Bio Pharm

Torrent Pharmaceuticals has acquired Bio-Pharm, a generic and overthe-counter drugmaker based in Levittown, Pennsylvania, for an undisclosed sum.
"This acquisition is an important step for increasing Torrent's presence in the United States, is consistent with our strategy of do...

Biocon teams up with Sandoz for next gen Biosimilars

Biocon and Sandoz, the generic drug division of Novartis have formed a partnership to develop, manufacture and sell affordable copies of biologic drugs in immunology and oncology globally.
The companies will jointly develop and make the drugs known as biosimilars and obtain regulatory a...

NEW DELHI: Venture capital (VC) funding, via private equity as well as corporate, jumped 42 per cent to a record USD 7.2 billion in the digital health sector globally last year through 778 deals, says a report.
According to Mercom Capital Group, the sector saw USD 5.1 billion in 622 dea...

Panacea Biotec partners Serum Institute for hexavalent vaccine

NEW DELHI: Panacea Biotec has signed two long-term agreements with Serum Institute of India (SII) and its wholly-owned subsidiary to manufacture and sell a type of hexavalent vaccine.
The vaccine is a combination of six antigens to protect against six dreaded diseases - Diphtheria, Teta...

Currae HealthTech Fund, a Rs 1-billion one led by Apoorva Patni, is an investment house keen to build a footprint in the health technology sector. Ajay Mahipal, investment head of Currae, joins Patni to discuss why the technology needs to be profitable to sustain and the challenges it faces. Edit...

NPPA fixes retail price of 30 drug formulations

NEW DELHI: Drug price regulator NPPA today said it has fixed the retail price for 30 drug formulations, including those used for treatment of diabetes, bacterial infections and high blood pressure.
The National Pharmaceutical pricing Authority (NPPA) has also revised the prices of three...

Long wait at govt facility, Get free surgery at pvt hospital

New Delhi: Lieutenant governor Anil Baijal on Tuesday approved the government's scheme 'quality health for all'. It pertains to providing patients specified, high-end diagnostic (radiological) tests and surgeries for free at private hospitals, in case of delay in government facilities...

JB Chemicals & Pharma s Gujarat facilities get European nod

NEW DELHI: JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals today said the Medicines Authority of Malta has granted European GMP approval to its manufacturing facilities located at Panoli, in Gujarat.
"JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals is pleased to announce receipt of European GMP approval for...

Tata Trusts launches Impact Lab for public health

Tata Trusts today said it has set up an 'Impact Lab' at IIT Delhi in partnership with health innovation player PATH for healthcare solutions in areas such as maternal and child health, nutrition and diagnostics for chronic and infectious diseases, among others.
The collaboration...

Piramal Enterprises explores re entry into Indian formulations business

MUMBAI: Piramal Enterprises is evaluating a return to the domestic formulation market after a non-compete agreement with Abbott expires this year, said people familiar with the plan.
The company is looking at introducing respiratory and central nervous system formulations in India, the ...

Regulator weighs inspection of drug making facilities in US

NEW DELHI: India's drug regulator is looking to inspect US pharmaceutical facilities making "critical" medicines so that only high quality products are imported from them, three government officials have said.
After taking action against drug makers in China for qual...

VPS Healthcare ventures into medical coding

KOCHI: VPS Healthcare, the healthcare conglomerate with a chain of hospitals in india and the Gulf, has ventured into medical coding by launching a new group company named Dynamed Healthcare Solutions at Infopark phase-2 in Kochi.
Medical coding is the transformation of healthcare diagn...

Lupin forays into OTC segment; eyes Rs300 crore turnover in 5 years

New Delhi: Drug major Lupin on Monday said it has forayed into over-the-counter (OTC) segment in the country with plans to touch Rs300 crore turnover in the vertical over the next five years.
The Mumbai-based firm has introduced its legacy product ‘Softovac’ across the country as ...

Pharma M&A: buying its way back to growth

Why Indian pharmaceutical companies are keen on global acquisitions is not hard to fathom.
A Crisil report estimates the sector’s revenue to increase by 9% per annum till fiscal 2020, with overseas revenue growing by a mere 1% in 2018 and then improving. But for domestic growth in the r...

India's plan to reduce medicine prices faces industry pushback

By Ari Altstedter and Abhijit Roy Chowdhury
India's proposal to curb drug prices by stripping generic medicines of their brand names has stalled after the plan faced pushback from the country's pharmaceutical companies, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.&nbsp...

Domestic medical device makers seek hike in basic custom duty

NEW DELHI: The government needs to increase the basic customs duty on medical devices in the range of 5-15 per cent to promote domestic manufacturing, Association of Indian Medical Device Industry (AiMeD) said today.
The current slab is 0-7.5 per cent, it said.
"The governm...

Indian pharma majors weigh bids for Sanofi’s $2 billion European generics business

MUMBAI: Homegrown Aurobindo, Zydus Cadila, Torrent Pharma and Intas have expressed preliminary interest in buying the European generics business of Paris-headquartered pharma giant Sanofi as frenzied dealmaking continues in Big Pharma the world over in the new year.
The portfolio of acu...

Eyeing over 80 percent sales from US, India, Europe by 2021 Glenmark

NEW DELHI: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals today said it expects the US, Indian and European markets, along with active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) segment, to contribute over 80 per cent to its sales by 2021.
As part of its medium term strategy, the company is also looking at increasing p...

Drug regulator teaming up to re inspect manufacturing plants of pharma cos in next three weeks

India's drug regulator is gearing up to re-inspect manufacturing plants of several pharmaceutical companies across the country to ensure they have taken measures to improve the quality of medicines sold here and exported to other markets. The re-inspections, which will see the centre and stat...

Hilleman Labs to partner future vaccine manufacturing hub

NEW DELHI: Hilleman Laboratories, a joint- venture between pharma major MSD and Wellcome Trust, today said it has partnered a new future vaccine manufacturing hub led by Imperial College, London.
UK Department for Health has granted GBP 10 million funding for the hub that will be manage...

State health ministers pledge to set up robust national food testing system

Health ministers of all states today pledged to set up a robust national food testing system by ensuring adequate number of laboratories and focus on nutrition by promoting healthy dietary habits and addressing rising incidences of obesity and noncommunicable diseases.
It was part of a ...

Eight Chinese pharma firms may be blacklisted over quality issues

NEW DELHI: The Indian government has issued showcause notices to, and may soon blacklist, eight Chinese pharmaceutical companies found to be supplying poor quality raw material to drug manufacturers in this country.
The notices were issued after a special inspection team of the Drug Con...

Glenmark launches biosimilar Adalimumab in India

MUMBAI: Mumbai based Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Wednesday said it has launched the biosimilar Adalimumab under a licensing agreement with Cadila Healthcare Ltd. Adalimumab is used in the treatment of Plaque Psoriasis and Rheumatoid Arthritis is the spin off version of US drug maker AbbVie which ...

Dip in pharma exports due to shifting of manufacturing bases, market consolidation Government

NEW DELHI: Shifting of manufacturing bases to overseas markets by certain domestic companies and absence of blockbuster drugs going off-patent are some of reasons for dip in India's pharmaceutical exports, Parliament was informed today.
In 2016-17, the exports decreased by 0.43 per ...

Bharat Biotech s typhoid vaccine gets WHO pre qualification

HYDERABAD: Bharat Biotech today said its Typbar TCV or the Typhoid Conjugate Vaccine against typhoid fever, has received pre-qualification from the World Health Organisation (WHO).
This enables the procurement and supplies of this vaccine to UNICEF, Pan-American Health Organisation (PAH...

NPPA fixes retail prices of 14 formulations

Drug price regulator NPPA has fixed retail prices of 14 formulations, including of those used in treatment of high cholesterol and high blood pressure.
In a notification on its website, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said the capped retail prices of the 14 formulat...

Hetero launches HumiraTM biosimilar in India

Indian drug maker Hetero has launched a biosimilar of AbbVie's 'HumiraTM' (adalimumab) for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and other auto immune disorders in India, the company stated in a release. This Hetero's fourth biosimilar drug, it added.
The product will be...

Indian pharma will continue to stare at single digit growth ICRA

MUMBAI: The growth trajectory for Indian pharmaceutical industry is likely to be moderate on back of slowing growth from US given the relatively moderate proportion of large size drugs going off patent, increased competition leading to price erosion in low-to--mid-teens, generic adoption reaching...

Vivimed Labs gets additional $7.5 million funding from OrbiMed Asia

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Vivimed LabsBSE -0.38 % today said it has received additional investment of USD 7.5 million (over Rs 47 crore) from healthcare investment firm OrbiMed Asia in its subsidiary Vivimed Labs (Mascarene).
The company had earlier received USD 42.5 million from OrbiMed Asi...

Apax Partners Carlyle front runners for Mankind Pharma stake sale

Delhi based Mankind Pharma, one of India's top pharmaceutical companies and maker of leading brands like Manforce condoms, PregaNews & Unwanted 72 is in advanced stages of a mega fund raising round with two private equity players emerging as front-runners, multiple sources familiar with o...

BJP MP demands setting up of medical regulator for private hospitals

NEW DELHI: A BJP MP today demanded setting up of a regulator to streamline functioning of private nursing homes and healthcare facilities, particularly to curb malpractices like over-pricing of medical procedures and services.
Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha, Meenakshi Lekhi said the...

Zydus Pharmaceuticals gets USFDA nod for OCD treatment drug

NEW DELHI: Zydus Pharmaceuticals (USA) Inc has received final approval from the US health regulator to market Clomipramine Hydrochloride capsules, used to treat obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).
The company has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) ...

Pharma companies revenues seen clipping at 9 percent over next 3 yrs

MUMBAI: Robust domestic demand and rising need for complex products in the West will help domestic pharma players log in a 9 per cent revenue growth with healthy cash flows over the next three years, offsetting headwinds in exports and rising competition, says a report.
"Revenue of...

Manipal hospitals may buy Hyderabad's Star Hospitals

HYDERABAD | MUMBAI: Backed by the investments from global private equity giants, Manipal Hospitals, which has been looking to expand its presence both in India and abroad, is in advanced talks to buy Hyderabad's multispecialty hospital chain Star Hospitals.
The due diligence process...

Governments medicare drive pinches pharma private hospitals in 2017

NEW DELHI: Indian pharmaceutical and healthcare sectors will step into the new year with lingering bitter after-effects of proactive measures of the government, which pulled out all the stops in 2017 for affordable medicare in the country.
While the government's directive to doctors...

USFDA accepts Sun Pharma arms ophthalmic drug application

NEW DELHI: The US health regulator has accepted a new drug application (NDA) for an ophthalmic solution filed by Sun Pharma wholly-owned subsidiary, the drugmaker said today.
"The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has accepted a new drug application (NDA), filed by its wholly...

Dr.Reddys launches anti cancer injection in US market

HYDERABAD: Dr.Reddy's Laboratories today said it has launched Melphalan Hydrochloride for Injection, a therapeutic equivalent generic version of Alkeran (melphalan hydrochloride) for Injection, in the United States market.
The drug, which is used to treat certain types of cancer, wa...

Aurobindo Pharma gets USFDA nod for Fondaparinux Sodium injection

NEW DELHI: Aurobindo Pharma today said it has received final approval from the US health regulator to manufacture and market its generic version of Fondaparinux Sodium injection used to prevent deep vein thrombosis.
The approval by US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) is for ...

Code for pharma marketing practices may be enforced soon

New Delhi: A revised final draft of a code regulating promotional practices in the pharmaceuticals industry, such as offering gifts to medical professionals, has been sent to the law ministry for vetting, two people familiar with the matter said, indicating that the code could soon be enforced.
...

Israel's Super Pharm in talks to buy Teva plant

Israel’s largest pharmacy chain Super-Pharm (Israel) is in talks to acquire Teva Pharmaceutical Industries’ plant in the coastal city of Ashdod, a source familiar with the matter said on Sunday, confirming media reports.
Super-Pharm would pay 60-80 million shekels ($17-23 mi...

Cancer risk may be increased by sleeping with this next to your head

London [UK], December 19 (ANI): In a recent study, a group of researchers have found that sleeping with your phone in your bed, or near to your head, could increase the risk of brain cancer.
Phones emit radio frequency energy, which some scientists believe could increase the risk of brain can...

In a move that could bring down the prices of several Indian syringe and needle brands by over 50%, a lobby group of domestic manufacturers has decided to voluntarily reduce the maximum retail prices of these products. The move comes amid rising speculation and debate over whether prices of more ...

Local stent companies catch fancy of PE players

NEW DELHI / MUMBAI: One company's misery is another's fortune. This seems to be the case with stent manufacturers, too.
As multinational stent makers ponder their prospects in India after price controls introduced this year, their local rivals, which had been struggling to make ...

Rein in MRP or government will syringe makers told

In response to a series of revelations on the huge margins charged by hospitals on medicines and consumables, the NPPA is learnt to have told syringe manufacturers that they could either voluntarily limit the margins and MRP or the government would have to step in to regulate them.
In a...

India developing bulk drugs to reduce import dependence

India is in the process of developing a range of bulk drugs to reduce import dependence, especially from China, a top government official said today.
Although a large quantity of bulk drugs is imported from China, India has enough capacity for producing active pharmaceutical ingredients...

Morepen Labs gets USFDA nod for asthma drug

Morepen Laboratories today said the US health regulator has given approval to Montelukast Sodium, used in managing asthma symptoms and seasonal allergies, for sale in the US market.
"The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has cleared Montelukast Sodium, a bulk drug/API manufac...

China accounts for 66 per cent of India's bulk drug imports in FY17

NEW DELHI: India's bulk drug imports from top five countries stood at Rs 18,372.54 crore in 2016-17 with China accounting for 66 per cent, Parliament was informed today.
In a written reply in Lok Sabha, Minister of State, Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh L Mandaviya said the other ...

Lincoln Pharma gets patent for antimalarial drug

Lincoln Pharmaceuticals has been awarded a patent for anti-malarial drug in India, the company said today.
The patent has been awarded by the Indian government for an Arteether injection to treat malaria, according to a BSE filing.
The drug is painless and gives faster relief ...

Biocon to invest in Uttar Pradesh health sector

BENGALURU/LUCKNOW: Biopharma company Biocon's CEO Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw said in Bangalore on Monday that she would invest in the healthcare centres of Uttar Pradesh and encourage entrepreneurs in the biotech space, especially the startups, to work in the state.
During a road show orga...

Drug makers can now expect more regular checkups from USFDA

MUMBAI: Audits of Indian drug manufacturing facilities by the Food and Drug Administration are set to rise sharply after October's Mutual Recognition Agreement between the US regulator and eight European Union member states.
The pact, seen as an unprecedented move, includes Sweden, ...

MUMBAI: Indian drug companies Aurobindo Pharma Ltd. and Dr Reddy's Laboratories Ltd. are emerging as the frontrunners to buy out bankrupt Orchid Pharma Ltd. as they seek to expand their capacities.
A key player in injectibles and active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) in its heyday...

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court has asked the country's technical advisory body on drugs to decide on the fate of more than 300 combination medicines banned by the government between March 2016 and June 2017. The order is a potential relief to drug makers who have argued that the government did ...

Torrent Pharma completes acquisition of Unichem Laboratories Ltd

Torrent Pharmaceuticals Limited on Thursday announced that it has completed acquisition of branded business of Unichem Laboratories Limited for India and Nepal, including its Sikkim manufacturing facility, on a going concern basis by way of slump sale. This transaction was in pursuance of the def...

Government to cap profits made by hospitals to stop overcharging

NEW DELHI: The Delhi government has decided to cap the profits made by hospitals while selling medicines or consumables to patients. The big change is that the maximum retail price (MRP) is not going to be the criterion that will decide the profit margin. Delhi health minister Satyendar Jain decl...

PerkinElmer may invest over $100 million in India by 2022

NEW DELHI: American health technology firm PerkinElmer may invest over $100 million in tie-ups with the government and acquisitions mainly in reproductive health by 2022. The company, which acquired one of India's largest providers of in-vitro diagnostic products earlier this year, is in talk...

JB Chemicals & Pharma gets USFDA nod for hypertension tablets

NEW DELHI: JB Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals has received US health regulator's nod for Atenolol tablets, used in treatment of high blood pressure.
"The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has approved the company's supplementary Abbreviated New Drug Applica...

Nova Nordisk India and Torrent Pharmaceuticals on Monday announced expansion of their insulin manufacturing facility at the latter's Indrad factory, 40 kms from state capital Gandhinagar. Currently reaching out to 3mn patients, the expansion would enable Novo Nordisk to tap 5 mn patients, Mel...

Suven gets product patents from India, US

NEW DELHI: Suven Life Sciences has secured a product patent each from India and the US for treatment of disorders associated with neurodegenerative diseases.
These patents are valid through 2029 and 2033 respectively, the company said in a BSE filing.
"We are pleased by t...

Rhizen receives USFDA fast track designation for cancer drug

Drug firm Alembic Pharmaceuticals today said the US health regulator has granted fast track designation to its associate company Rhizen Pharmaceuticals SA's RP6530 (tenalisib), used in treatment of cancer.
"The US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has granted Fast Track Designatio...

E Pharma medicines to be more affordable

Hyderabad: With 50 online pharmacies now operational in India, a review by the Drugs Controller General of India contends that e-pharmacies will be the game-changers as they will make medicines more affordable to consumers. Tushar Kumar, founder of online pharmacy Med-life, said, “Online ph...

Mylan wants to capture chronic Hep B market

NEW DELHI: US drugmaker Mylan hopes to capture a “major” share of the Rs 140-crore market for chronic Hepatitis B with the launch of its once-daily tablet for this infection in adults. The drug will have a maximum retail price of Rs 1,900 for a pack of 30 tablets, said the company&rsq...

Serum Institute to launch 4 vaccines, enter US, Europe markets

NEW DELHI: Homegrown global vaccines major Serum Institute of India plans to launch at least four products and enter European and US markets in the next three to four years as it seeks to retain number one position.
The company sells its products in 147 countries and is the largest vacc...

ICMR launches diagnostic kits to detect livestock diseases

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) today launched diagnostic kits to detect neglected infectious diseases in livestock.
The kits have been developed by ICMR's Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV) in collaboration with Zydus Cadila, a global pharmaceutical company.
...

This company is ready to flood the US with cheap HIV drugs

Among the coconut plantations and beaches of South India, a factory the size of 35 football fields is preparing to churn out billions of generic pills for HIV patients and flood the US market with the low-cost copycat medicines.
US patents on key components for some important HIV therap...

New Zealand billionaire backs Indiabulls Pharma

Billionaire investor-turned-philanthropist Richard Chandler has picked up a stake of about 9% in the one-year old Indiabulls Pharmaceuticals for Rs 155 crore, valuing the company at about Rs 1,800 crore. Set up in mid-2016, it’s a privately held company that was wholly owned by Indiabulls g...

Indian healthcare market to hit $372 billion by 2022

NEW DELHI: India's healthcare market may see threefold jump in value terms to USD 372 billion by 2022, driven by growing incidence of lifestyle diseases and rising demand for affordable healthcare delivery systems, says a report.
The report prepared by Assocham and research firm RNC...

Credihealth to raise around Rs 100 cr to fund expansion

Medical assistance company Credihealth is looking to raise around Rs 100 crore to fund its expansion to up to 60 cities in the country by 2020, a top company official said.
The company is present in 12 cities with 450 hospitals and 25,000 doctors on its platform.
"We are looking to r...

New expert committee to consult on drug pricing, new drug launches

NEW DELHI: The ministry of chemicals and fertilizers' pharmaceuticals department has decided to constitute a new expert committee to consult the country's drug pricing regulator on all technical issues related to pricing and new drug launches. At the same time, the regulator is not expect...

Biosimilar drug by Mylan, Biocon gets USFDA approval

MUMBAI: A decade-long partnership of US drug maker Mylan and Bengaluru-based BioconBSE 9.38 % saw the light at the end of tunnel as the US FDA granted marketing approval to its biosimilar drug Trastuzumab last Friday night. This ends the speculation over the drug’s launch.
Trastuz...

Glenmark Pharma gets approval for inhaler product in Nordic countries

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals Europe Ltd on Friday said it has received approval for an inhaled respiratory product in Nordic countries, including Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Iceland.
The company "has successfully closed the decentralised registration procedure for generic Seretide A...

Piramal acquires Digeplex from Shreya Lifesciences

MUMBAI: Piramal Enterprises today acquired the Digeplex and the associated brands from Shreya Lifesciences for an undisclosed sum to expand its consumer products business.
The acquisition will help the Ajay Pirmal-led company expand its gastro-intestinal product portfolio.
"We ...

Government needs proactive approach to boost pharma sector: Industry

MUMBAI: Union and state governments needs to develop a proactive approach towards building better quality compliance and become a facilitator of funds and platforms, leaving the mechanism of delivery to the private sector to help the pharma sector grow faster, according to industry experts. ...

Shashank Tyagi, a 27-year-old Delhi-based businessman, was diagnosed with Gaucher’s disease when he was five. “I still remember I used to vomit after every small meal as food wasn’t able to digest and fit into my stomach,” he says, recalling the frequent fatigue and pain.
...

Nigeria new attraction for Indian pharma firms

ACCRA: As Indian pharma firms look to increase their footprints in Africa, Nigeria seems to be offering opportunities, as its pharmaceutical market is likely to grow to $3.6 billion by 2026, according to a study by international consulting group McKinsey.
"The Nigerian pharma marke...

How India can make cheap and quality medicines available to all

In the mid-1990s, India identified availability, accessibility and affordability of medicines as the major weaknesses in its drive for quality and affordable healthcare for all. More than a decade passed before the UPA government started the Jan Aushadhi Scheme (JAS) in 2008 to counter high price...

Aurobindo Pharma looks for inorganic growth prospects in East Europe

Hyderabad-based Aurobindo Pharma is looking at inorganic growth opportunities in Eastern Europe and other geographies for deeper market penetration and to secure newer technologies.
Apart from acquisitions, the company is also keen to expand its product portfolio in the US and Western Europea...

New chemotherapy delivery hits precise target

BENGALURU: An Indian scientist has claimed a breakthrough in reducing the side-effects of chemotherapy by creating a drug delivery system that will target only cancer cells and leave healthy cells unharmed.
The patented system – contained in a whole-body device called Cellular Foc...

India likely to get dengue vaccine by end of 2019

New Delhi: India is likely to get a vaccination for Dengue by the end of 2019.
Pharmaceutical giant Panacea Biotec has secured permissions to conduct a clinical trial in the country after the Drug Controller General of India permitted it to test the viability, as per media reports.
The cl...

More life-saving medicines to become cheaper by as much as 53%

NEW DELHI: More essential medicines to treat life-threatening ailments including heart problems, Hepatitis-C and cancer are set to become cheaper, with India’s drug pricing watchdog having capped prices of 51 drugs by as much as 53%.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (...

Indian home healthcare platform Portea Medical raises $26M Series C

Portea Medical one of India’s biggest platforms for home healthcare visits, has raised $26 million in Series C funding to expand its service range. The round was led by Sabre Partners and MEMG CDC, with participation from returning investors Accel (which led Portea’s Series B two year...

Everstone buys Malaysian medical devices company Chemopharm

NEW DELHI: The Everstone Group has acquired Malaysia-based diagnostics and medical supplies distributor Chemopharm for an undisclosed sum. Singapore-based Cure Capital acted as a co-investor in the transaction.
Chemopharm has distribution presence in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Viet...

Biocon introduces oncologic biosimilar KRABEVA in India

NEW DELHI: Biotechnology major Biocon today said it has launched its cancer biosimilar drug KRABEVA in India.
The biosimilar product will be used for the treatment of patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and other types of lung, kidney, cervical, ovarian and brain cancers in India...

Founded by 2 Gujaratis, US drug major Amneal eyes speciality biz in India

Two Indian-American brothers hailing from Gujarat, Chirag and Chintu Patel, have built a $1.8-billion drug major Amneal Pharmaceuticals in the US from scratch in around a decade and a half. After its recent merger with Impax Laboratories last month, the combined entity, with revenues of $1.75-1.8...

In a matter of few days, Cipla has announced the approval for the launch of three key generic drugs in the US market, which has boosted its share price. Recent news apart, even in the past few months, Cipla has been among the top performing pharmaceutical stocks. While Cipla getting approval for ...

Pharma firms tide over GST impact

AHMEDABAD: Normalcy seems to have been restored in the domestic pharmaceutical market with improvement in drug inventory of stockists. This is evident from an uptick in domestic market sales of top pharmaceutical companies in the state such as Cadila Healthcare Limited, Torrent Pharmaceuticals Li...

India can become second largest market for robotic surgery: Vattikuti Foundation

With the aim of installing 200 more robots and reach over 20,000 robotic-assisted surgeries per year by 2020, US-based Vattikuti Foundation is set to make India the second largest market for robotic surgery in the world after the US, said the non-profit's top executive here.
"I...

Apollo Hospitals to take pharmacy store count to 3,000 in next 6 months

Apollo Hospitals has accelerated its pharmacy expansion during the current financial year with the target of reaching around 3,000 stores in the next six months.
The healthcare major manages the largest organised pharmacy retail chain in the country with around 2,742 outlets as on Septe...

Narayana Hrudayalaya plans Rs 500 cr expansion, to enter Africa

Leading private sector hospital chain Narayana Hrudayalaya has chalked out a Rs 500 crore expansion plan, which will see it entering high-value markets in the country over next three years as well as making a foray into Africa.
"After acquiring Health City, Cayman Islands, which is our s...

Eris Life to acquire Strides India business for Rs 500 crore

MUMBAI: Bengaluru-based drug maker Strides Shasun has agreed to sell its domestic branded formulations business to Ahmedabad-based Eris Lifesciences for Rs 500 crore, joining a select league of Indian pharmaceuticals firms exiting domestic market to focus on more lucrative international business....

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals launches nicotine gum Kwitz

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals today said it has launched nicotine replacement therapy product Kwitz that helps smokers quit smoking.
Kwitz nicotine gum will be available in two variants of 2 mg as an OTC product 4mg as prescription product, the company said in a statement.
While Kw...

Malnutrition India's biggest health hazard, air pollution a close second

NEW DELHI: Child and maternal malnutrition continues to be the biggest health hazard in India since 1990, while deteriorating air quality came a close second, according to a recent report in one of the world's oldest medical journals.
The report published in the Lancet journal has f...

DRL launches anti cancer drug in US market

Dr. Reddy s Laboratories Ltd today announced today that it has launched Clofarabine Injection, a therapeutic equivalent generic version of Clolar (clofarabine) Injection in the United States market, following the approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA).
According to a ...

How PM Narendra Modi put new life in an ailing UPA scheme

Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new lease of life to a sickly scheme from the second term of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition government.
Few had heard of Jan Aushadhi Scheme before September 2015, when the Modi-led government renamed it first as Pra...

OmniActive Health eyes more takeovers, to invest Rs 150 cr

OmniActive Health Technologies, a leading nutraceutical company, is looking at more strategic acquisitions in domestic and foreign markets and has drawn up capital expenditure plans of around Rs 150 crore in the next three years.
Building on an M&A (mergers and acquisitions) strateg...

Zydus gets regulatory nod to market Lipaglyn in Mexico

Drug firm Zydus today said it has received approval from the Mexican regulatory authority to market Lipaglyn (Saroglitazar Magnesium) used for treatment of dyslipidemia in patients with diabetes.
The company has been granted marketing approval from the Mexican regulatory authority COFEP...

Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw, chairman and managing director of Biocon has called on the Centre to be careful in controlling prices of drugs and equipment saying that this could potentially impact the quality of healthcare in India.
"I think there is an affordability price-point which people need...

SMT bags tender to supply 10,000 stents to Italian public hospitals

Indian medical device firm Sahajanand Medical Technologies (SMT) has bagged a tender to supply its drug-eluting coronary stents to public hospitals in a region of Italy over the next two years. The stent maker’s brand was chosen over eight other drug-eluting stents, including those by globa...

Torrent Pharma to buy Unichem Labs' India business for $558 million

Torrent Pharmaceuticals said on Friday it would buy more than 120 brands of Unichem Laboratories in India and Nepal and its manufacturing plant at Sikkim.
The deal, valued at 36 billion rupees ($558 million), will be funded by internal accruals and bank borrowing, the drugmaker said in ...

In a country where quality healthcare remains a privilege of the rich and influential, a silent army of women, clad in pink sarees, work tirelessly and selflessly to make basic healthcare facilities accessible to those who live on the margins of the growing Indian economy, particularly in the cou...

New dengue virus confirmed in India

PUNE: A new dengue virus has been confirmed for the first time in the country.
Scientists at Pune-based National Institute of Virology (NIV), who spotted it and had been tracking it, said the new virus of an Asian genotype (genetic structure) was a concern as it was associated with seve...

The healthcare sector revenues are expected to grow at 15% annually over the next three financial years (FY2018-FY2020) led by rapid expansion in health insurance coverage through government-sponsored schemes, says Crisil Ratings.
"The Rs 4.8 lakh crore healthcare delivery sector in Indi...

Serum Institute to launch new vaccines; foray in Europe, US markets by 2020

Serum Institute chief executive officer Adar Poonawala has called for policy reforms to boost competitiveness as the company plans to launch new vaccines and make a foray in Europe and US markets by 2020.
The 50-year-old Pune based company is the world's largest producer of vaccines by vo...

CURA Healthcare launches 360 degree Breast Thermography System

Chennai: CURA Healthcare announced today the launch of robot-assisted digital 360 degree breast thermography device, an early breast cancer warning system for all age groups.
Illumina 360 degree images allow doctors to differentiate between normal and abnormal breast tissues that may develop ...

NephroPlus to open up to 55 dialysis centres by 2018 end

NEW DELHI: Dialysis service provider NephroPlus is looking to open up to 55 centres across India by the end of next year as part of its expansion plans, according to a top company official.
The expansion in the Indian market could entail an investment of around Rs 55 crore.
&q...

Indian flyers welcome breast cancer awareness campaign

Close to 1.25 lakh people who fly IndiGo every day are coming in support of the “breast cancer awareness campaign” initiated by GE Healthcare and IndiGo.
#BEPROACTIVE - a nationwide awareness campaign kick started on 20 October 2017 with an aim to ensure more women are made ...

Dr Agarwals Eye Hospital to open facilities in Dubai, Oman

Chennai-based hospital chain Dr Agarwal's Eye Hospital is looking to expand its overseas presence in the West Asia by opening hospitals in Dubai and Oman. The hospital chain's foray into the Gulf countries is part of its expansion plan, wherein it intends to double its network in India an...

US medical device makers call for trade action against India

American medical device companies have written to the US government asking that it suspend or partly or fully withdraw India's benefits under the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) "in view of its failure to provide equitable and reasonable access to its market for medical devices&q...

Glenmark launches oral drug for Psoriasis treatment in India

NEW DELHI: Glenmark Pharmaceuticals today said it has launched Apremilast, the first advanced oral systemic treatment for Psoriasis in India.
Apremilast, which is a phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) inhibitor indicated for the treatment of moderate to severe Psoriasis, will revolutionise the t...

The much awaited 8th edition of Pharmac India is all set to take place in Ahmedabad

The much awaited 8th edition of Pharmac India is all set to enthrall visitors and delegates from all over the world and is scheduled to take place from 7th to 9th November 2017. Gujarat University Exhibition and Convention center will once again host the three days industry extravagance. The 8th ...

Govt working on opening Ayurveda hospital in every district, says PM Modi

The government is working towards setting up an Ayurveda hospital in each district of the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today and asserted that time had come for a "health revolution" under the aegis of the traditional medicine system.
Addressing a gathering after dedic...

Tatas Rs 1,000 cr Diwali gift for cancer patients

The Tata Trusts project, which seeks to provide affordable cancer treatment in every nook and corner of the country, is being personally supervised by Ratan Tata.
Tata Trusts, led by Ratan Tata, has pledged Rs 1,000 crore and other resources to help the central government develop cancer...

Ayurveda market size seen at $8 billion by 2020

Emphasising that Ayurveda will provide affordable healthcare, Union Minister for State for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik on Monday said a three-fold increase in market size of Ayurvedic products from $2.5 billion to $8 billion is expected by 2022.
Addressing an "Ayurveda Conclave" ...

82 percent people of Delhi, Mumbai prone to heart disease due to stress: Survey

Going against the popular belief that improper diet and lack of exercise were responsible for heart disease, the survey conducted by ICICI Lombard reveals that stress is a prime cause of cardiac conditions. The survey also highlights that 82 per cent people in Delhi and Mumbai are more prone to c...

India to hold Dubai's 1st ever AYUSH conference in Nov

DUBAI: India will hold Dubai's first-ever AYUSH conference next month to spread awareness about the prevention and management of lifestyle diseases through Yoga and Ayurveda.
'International AYUSH Conference and Exhibition 2017' with the theme of 'Lifestyle diseases: Prev...

Lupin US arm takes over Symbiomix Therapeutics

MUMBAI: Lupin on Wednesday said it has acquired Symbiomix Therapeutics, a US-based company specialising in drugs for gynaecologic infections, for cash considerations of $150 million, or about Rs 980 crore. The acquisition, made through the firm’s US subsidiary Lupin Pharmaceuticals, involve...

Piramal Pharma announces expansion of API manufacturing facilities

Piramal Pharma Solutions (PPS), a contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO) announced investments of USD 55 million across its sites in North America and Asia to expand its API manufacturing capabilities and capacities.
A part of USD 55 million investment will go into n...

Drug makers may have to declare ex factory price on medicine packs

NEW DELHI: With a view to bringing in transparency in drug pricing, the government plans to make it mandatory for pharmaceutical companies to disclose MRP as well as `ex-factory' price on the packs of medicines.
The proposal has perturbed the pharmaceutical companies as it will put ...

Intas launches chemotherapy drug at affordable price

Ahmedabad-based Intas Pharmaceuticals has launched the cancer drug Bevacizumab at prices 60 per cent less than the currently available options.
On Wednesday, the company announced that its Bevacizumab therapy would cost Rs 39,995 for the dose strength of 400 mg variant, which makes it 6...

Eris Lifesciences acquires UTH Healthcare for Rs 12.85 crore

Ahmedabad based Eris Lifesciences, that has clocked a 21.7 per cent compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) from FY13 to FY17, has acquired nutraceuticals company UTH Healthcare Ltd. in an all cash deal. Eris has acquired 100 per cent shareholding of UTH for Rs 12.85 crore.
This is the com...

Gland Pharma to leverage Fosun’s strengths for growth

MUMBAI: Gland Pharma aims to double its injectables capacity in the next two to three years before going public, a top company executive said a day after Chinese drugmaker Fosun Pharma said it acquired 74 per cent stake in the Hyderabad-based firm. Gland Pharma will also increase its product port...

NEW DELHI: The United States is pressing India not to extend price caps on medical devices and wants New Delhi to allow firms to withdraw products from the market if they do not wish to sell at government determined rates, a U.S. trade official told Reuters.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Mod...

After Gland, Chinese pharma giant Fosun eyes API maker Symbiotec

MUMBAI: Weeks after Chinese pharmaceutical giant Fosun tweaked its acquisition of Hyderabad-based Gland Pharma for $1 billion (Rs 6,500 crore), it is out shopping again to further strengthen its India presence.
Shanghai-based Fosun Pharmaceutical is in talks to acquire the manufacturing...

We all know the basics of a healthy heart, but some habits are such that we continue them without realizing that they are wreaking havoc on our hearts. Call it social pressure or negligence, the victim always is the heart. Heart pumps blood to our entire body and the significance of this cannot b...

Government forbids cos from withdrawing stents until December to prevent shortage

NEW DELHI: The government has prevented companies that make or import coronary stents from requesting permission to discontinue their products until December to prevent a shortage of the life-saving devices.
The move may affect multinational companies that have been trying to withdraw t...

NPPA caps prices of 39 drugs used for treating cancer, malaria

Drug price regulator NPPA on Wednesday said it has fixed the ceiling price for 39 more drug formulations, including those used for the treatment of cancer, tuberculosis, malaria and hepatitis B among others.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) said while the ceiling price of ...

Speciality segment to be a key growth driver for Sun Pharma

Drug major Sun Pharmaceutical Industries today said it has identified speciality segment as one of the key drivers for growth going forward.
The global pharmaceutical landscape is rapidly changing. There are opportunities as well as challenges. This mandates identifying new and profitab...

MUMBAI: Indian pharma exporters road to recovery might still take time as weak economic and political conditions in Africa and currency volatility in Latin America (LATAM) are likely to weigh on the consumption of pharmaceutical formulations according to India Ratings and Research (Ind-Ra), a rat...

Max Healthcare launches Max at Home, brings patient care to homes

NEW DELHI: Max Healthcare is bringing its domain expertise in patient care to people within the environs of their homes with the launch of its new vertical Max@Home, a senior company official said.
Under the new initiative, the healthcare major plans to offer a total of 17 types of serv...

Assam to set up technology incubation centre at Guwahati Biotech Park

GUWAHATI: The Assam government has started a process to set up a technology incubation centre at Guwahati Biotech Park, seeking to promote new businesses in biotechnology and allied areas.
The initiative will facilitate faster penetration of biotech industry and accelerate research &amp...

Mumbai: Mumbai-based Transasia Bio-Medicals Ltd. has introduced the ErbaQik range of rapids for Dengue and Malaria detection. The ErbaQik kits have been proven to have superior specificity (100%) and sensitivity (>92%) for all parameters of dengue and malaria, based on extensive evaluation stu...

Fosun Pharma to buy 74 percent stake in Gland for USD1.09 billion

Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical Group has agreed to cut the size of the stake it would buy in Hyderabad-based injectable maker Gland Pharma to 74 per cent in a revised $1.09-billion (around Rs 6,900 cr) deal after its earlier proposal to acquire 86 per cent met approval roadblock.
In a st...

Laurus Labs gets USFDA nod for Visakhapatnam unit

Hyderabad-based Laurus Labs Limited has received the Establishment Inspection Report (EIR) from US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its formulations and active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) manufacturing plant, Unit 2 located in Visakhapatnam. The inspection was completed in May, 2017.
...

Cadila Healthcare receives USFDA nod for two drugs

Drug firm Zydus Cadila on Friday said it has received approvals from the US health regulator for its Modafinil and Solifenacin Succinate tablets, and the drugs will be manufactured at Ahmedabad facility.
The company has received final approval from the United States Food and Drug Administrati...

Domestic stent makers gain on the back of price caps

NEW DELHI: Domestic stent makers are looking to capture a greater share of India’s coronary stent market on the back of an uptick in sales after the government slashed prices of the devices by over 80 per cent. While some multinational firms have claimed the move has made it unviable to sup...

Digital dispensaries take affordable healthcare to remote locations

Like all good entrepreneurs, Dr Syed Sabahat Azim has an excellent idea and he knows how to sell it. While at it, the IAS officer-turned-entrepreneur also hopes to solve India’s primary healthcare problem. “We call it hospital in a box,” says Dr Azim, chief executive of Kolkata ...

After GST jitters, pharma market back on growth track in August

After slipping into the negative in July, thanks to a temporary slowdown in drug sales caused by the transition to the Goods and Services Tax (GST), the Indian pharmaceutical market (IPM) was back on track in August, registering 2.4 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth during the month.
D...

MSD launches blockbuster cancer drug Keytruda in India

NEW DELHI: US biopharmaceutical giant Merck, Sharpe and Dohme (MSD) has launched its blockbuster cancer drug ‘Keytruda’ (pembrolizumab) in India around a year after it first received approvals to market it, said persons aware of the development. The drug has so far only been approved ...

Patented drug launches help MNCs score over Indian peers

MUMBAI: At a time when the pharmaceuticals industry is facing the heat with price cuts and regulatory issues in the country, multinational companies are growing faster than their domestic peers due to better product mix, says a study.
While Indian companies still control almost 80% of t...

Abbott to stop sales of bioresorbable stent Absorb, moves to withdraw it in India

NEW DELHI: Abbott Vascular moved an application on Friday to withdraw its bioresorbable coronary stent from India, drug pricing watchdog National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has confirmed. The move follows the US stent maker’s decision to stop global sales of its bioresorbable c...

Biocon aspiring for USD1 billion revenues by FY 2019

NEW DELHI: Biocon is betting big on small molecules and generic formulations, biosimilars, branded formulations and research services as it targets $1 billion revenue by the next fiscal.
The Bengaluru-based firm, which has been chasing the target since 2011, has identified these vertica...

Amrutanjan plans expansion of distribution network

Pain management firm Amrutanjan Healthcare, which has of late entered into the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) business, is planning an expansion of its direct distribution network in tune with its long-term growth plans. The 124-year old company is looking at augmenting its direct distribution...

Cadila's Moraiya plant successfully completes USFDA inspection

Drug firm Cadila Healthcare on Thursday said the US health regulator has issued no observations after completion of inspection of its Moraiya plant in Gujarat.
The United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has inspected the company's Moraiya facility from August 31-September 7, 2...

National policy to fight drug abuse on cards

NEW DELHI: The government is set to pass the country’s first national policy to fight drug addiction that proposes specialist doctors and facilities to treat addicts in all government hospitals and accreditation of de-addiction centres.
The final National Policy on Drug Demand Red...

Merck KGaA may sell consumer health business

NEW DELHI: Merck KGaA is looking to sell its $1-billion global consumer health business, including that in India, in a move that the German drugmaker said will be an important step in executing its science and technology-focussed strategy.
The company is preparing for “strategic o...

Shakila Banu, ever since she had a fall seven years ago, used to get back pain while sitting for more than three hours at a stretch. She was under the care of orthopaedic surgeon Dr K Chandran. Shakila was admitted to Padmini Nursing Home in Chennai on October 9, 2003 where Dr Chandran performed ...

NEW DELHI: Roche Diagnostics India is aiming at 15 per cent share of the in-vitro diagnostics market in the next two years as part of its growth plans in the country.
Roche Diagnostics is part of Swiss healthcare major Roche. It sells devices and equipment to labs and hospitals and is m...

GlaxoSmithKline sets up first team for acquisitions in 93 years

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) Pharmaceuticals is scouting for acquisitions in the domestic market for the first time since it started its operations in the country 93 years ago.
The change in strategy comes at a time when the government’ increasing price control over branded generic medic...

Hyderabad, Sept 2017: The 10th edition of analytica Anacon India and India Lab Expo, the International trade fairs for Laboratory Technology, Analysis, Biotechnology and Diagnostics will be held in Hyderabad from September 21 to 23, 2017 at HITEX Exhibition Center in Hyderabad. analytica An...

Arrow Pharma acquires Australian operations of Amneal Pharma

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Strides Shasun today said its arm Arrow Pharmaceuticals has acquired Australian operations of Amneal Pharmaceuticals for a total consideration of AUD 17 million (over Rs 85 crore).
The acquisition would accelerate Arrow's market reach and will help in attaining ...

Drug distributors push for cap on margins

Distributors present in the pharmaceutical policy meet, held in New Delhi on Wednesday, agreed to the government’s idea to cap trade margins to make drugs affordable.
Suresh Ranka, a representative from the All India Chemists and Distributors Federation, said that for branded drug...

USFDA hikes fee for processing ANDA by USD 1 lakh for FY18

HYDERABAD: Citing high workload, the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) has increased fee for processing Abbreviated New Drug Application (ANDA) by over USD 1 lakh to USD 1.71 lakh for the fiscal year 2018.
The hike was made under Generic Drug User Fee Amendments of 2017 (GDUFA II). The ...

The State of Pharmaceutical Industry in India, An Overview.

New Delhi: Indian pharmaceutical industry, with current market size of $27.57 billion (last reported in 2016) is expected to reach a mark of $55 billion by 2020 at a CAGR of 15.92%, according to a report by the Indian Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF). In the next three years, India is projected to ...

Health ministry objects to pharma policy proposals

New Delhi: The health ministry has objected to a proposal that will end its role in selecting drugs to be brought under price control and cede control of regulator Central Drugs Standard Control Organization (CDSCO) to the department of pharmaceuticals under the fertilizer and chemicals ministry....

Gilead Sciences Inc agreed to buy Kite Pharma Inc in a $11.9 billion deal on Monday, as it looks to fuel growth with an emerging class of cancer immunotherapies that are expected to generate billions.
Gilead will pay $180 per share in an all-cash deal, representing a 29.4 percent premium over...

Apollo Hospitals aims to grow private label business in five years

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd (AHEL) is looking at increasing the contribution of private labels to its pharmacy business. Private labels account for around 6.5 per cent of the pharmacy business at present and the company is envisaging to take this up to 20 per cent in five years, said a senior...

NEW DELHI: Over a week after it capped the maximum prices of knee implants in the country, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has flagged 40 hospitals for not displaying the new prices on their websites.
The drug pricing watchdog has threatened action against these hos...

Japanese drug maker Eisai to expand Vizag plant

Eisai Pharmaceuticals plans to expand its manufacturing plant in Visakhapatnam and set up an innovation centre to support its new drug development programmes.
The Japanese drug maker sells cancer and central nervous disorder drugs in India. It has a manufacturing unit in Visakhapatnam (Vizag)...

India's proposed pharma marketing rules hit legal roadblock

MUMBAI: India's plan to bring in marketing rules to curb unethical promotional practices in the country's drug industry faces an indefinite delay after it hit a legal roadblock, marking a setback for public health groups.
The country's law ministry has rejected draft marketi...

Healthcare Global to set up 12 new hospitals in 18 months

NEW DELHI: Healthcare Global Enterprises (HCG), a Bengaluru-based chain of specialised cancer care centres, plans to set up a dozen new hospitals over the next 18 months, the publicly traded company’s chairman, BS Ajai Kumar, said.
HCG plans to expand its network of cancer care ce...

India grants Pfizer patent for blockbuster brand Prevenar 13

NEW DELHI: India has granted US drug giant Pfizer a patent for its blockbuster Prevenar 13, a vaccine that helps prevent cases of pneumonia, one of the leading causes of deaths of children under five years of age. The approval comes more than a decade after the company applied for the patent in t...

ICMR partners with IVI, invests Rs 3.20 crore for vaccine development in India

NEW DELHI: The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has entered into an agreement to collaborate on vaccine research and development with international vaccine development organisation International Vaccine Institute (IVI). Through this partnership, India will commit $5,00,000 (Rs 3.20 crore...

CallHealth to expand footprint by setting up health care lounges in IT parks

Hyderabad-based CallHealth Services Private Limited, which has built an online platform along with the essential front-end infrastructure to offer integrated health care services to people at their choice of location, is now planning to roll out 'Healthcare Lounges' across all Information...

Aurobindo to widen portfolio in US, enter new European markets in 3 to 4 years

Aurobindo Pharma has said it would broaden product portfolio in the US while entering new markets in Europe as part of its growth strategy over the next 3-4 years.
In the US, it plans to broaden portfolio through accelerated growth in injectable, OTC and higher complexity products, Aurobindo ...

Centre plans to sell generic medicines at fuel stations

NEW DELHI: The government is working on opening 'Jan Aushadhi' (generic medicines) stores at petrol pumps belonging to state-run fuel retailers across the country with a view to make cheap drugs accessible to masses, Union oil minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Wednesday.
&quot...

Cap prices of drugs & medical appliances also: Doctors body

NEW DELHI: After the government fixed a price range for knee implants, a national body of medics working to promote ethical healthcare has demanded that a cap should be put on the cost of drugs and other medical appliances also.
Alliance of Doctors for Ethical Healthcare (ADEH) has subm...

After stents, knee implants get cheaper as govt caps price

After cardiac stents, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has capped the prices of orthopaedic knee implants.
The cobalt chromium knee implant, available at over Rs 1,58,000 at hospitals, will now be available for a ceiling price of Rs 54,720. At present, such implants ...

China's Fosun, Shanghai Pharma bid for stake in US based drugmaker Arbor

A unit of China's Fosun Group and Shanghai Pharmaceuticals Holding Co are among bidders for a stake in U.S. specialty drugmaker Arbor Pharmaceuticals LLC, the companies said on Monday.
The bids come as Chinese companies face tightening scrutiny on their overseas investments. Chinese regul...

Government working on steps to bring down knee surgery costs: PM Narendra Modi

NEW DELHI: After the recent move to put a cap on the price of coronary stents, the government is working on measures to bring down the expenditure on knee surgeries, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said today.
In his Independence Day speech from the ramparts of the Red Fort here, he said t...

Divi's Lab gets green nod for Rs 100cr modernisation project

NEW DELHI: Divi's Laboratories has received environment clearance for modernisation of its bulk drug unit in Visakhapatnam which will entail a cost of Rs 100 crore.
The company wants to modernise one of the two units by shifting non-production activities to proposed new area and mee...

Intas eyes Teva’s oncology, women’s health divisions in Europe

MUMBAI: Within a year of buying out Teva's UK and Ireland assets and breaking into the top 20 generics players club, Intas Pharmaceuticals is on the prowl again for a larger piece of Teva’s existing operations in Europe.
The closely held Ahmedabad-based drug maker, which has T...

DCGI mulls alternatives to China active pharmaceutical ingredients

MUMBAI: The Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) has got local drugmakers to draw up an emergency plan on dealing with any blockade on shipments from China of active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs), or raw materials used to make medicines, in the event of border tensions escalating. Indian c...

Aurobindo Pharma ups the ante in oncology space

Aurobindo Pharma, one of the country’s leading drug makers, plans to develop “more than 58 drugs” in the oncology space, besides eight hormone products, and could start regulatory filings for them later this year. Manufacturing of these drugs would commence from 2018-19, the com...

Wockhardt's antibiotic injection gets USFDA nod

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Wockhardt has received approval from the US health regulator for its generic Oxacillin injection used for treatment of bacterial infections, the company said today.
The company has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its...

Trade margins on knee implants as much as 300 percent, says regulator

NEW DELHI: Average trade margins on knee systems for implants are as high as 300%, India’s drug pricing watchdog said. The average margin for importers of total knee systems was 76% while for distributors and hospitals, it was 135%, the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority said on Frid...

Centre mulls waiving off clinical trials on humans for critical drugs

NEW DELHI: In a move to make innovative medicines available for critical diseases like HIV, hepatitis and tuberculosis, the health ministry plans to waive off clinical trials in humans for select drugs which are essential for Indian patients and were approved in developed markets like the US, Eur...

People may have to shell out more for availing of some of the healthcare services such as dialysis, pacemaker implantation, support devices in orthopaedics and cancer treatment due to levying of the GST, the Union Health Ministry has said.
The GST cell of the Ministry has said this on its web...

The family constitution of Apollo Hospitals Group, which would elaborate on the roles of the promoter family members for the future, will be ready in a few weeks, Prathap C Reddy, executive chairman, Apollo Hospitals & Enterprises Ltd said.
"We have to get all the opinions and commen...

NPPA moves to prevent distributors from taking higher cuts on stents

NEW DELHI: India’s drug pricing watchdog has moved to plug a loophole that may have helped some distributors grab higher profits on cardiac stents than the government has allowed.
A cardiac stent is a wire mesh tube used to clear blockages in coronary arteries and prevent heart at...

No more freebies: Modi government plans crackdown on marketing by drugmakers

MUMBAI: India, one of the world's largest markets for pharmaceuticals, is drawing up its first set of marketing rules for drugmakers, restricting gifts and trips offered to doctors and pharmacists to 1,000 rupees ($15), according to a draft proposal seen by Reuters.
While such rules...

Medical devices to carry MRP on packs from Jan 1: Govt

Medical Device will have to mandatorily carry maximum retail price (MRP) on packages from January 1, 2018, the government informed Parliament on Tuesday.
Minister of State for Road Transport and Highways, Shipping and Chemicals and Fertilisers Mansukh L Mandaviya said in a written reply...

GST hiccups stay for distributors, chemists

One month after the roll out of the goods and services tax (GST), the stocking of medicines has not stabilised.
Chemists in Delhi said they were not comfortable packing their shelves because incentives provided to them in the pre-GST regime were no longer on offer.
“Most companies a...

‘Quitting tobacco can decrease cancer chances eight times’

NAGPUR: Increase in tobacco consumption has led to rise in cancer cases among the youth in recent years. “It is most common in people between 25 and 40 years of age,” said Dr Satsheel Sapre, HoD of Head and Neck Cancer Department at Rashtrasant Tukdoji Regional Cancer Hospital (RST).
...

A dose of medicine to fix the health sector

What is the single biggest factor that is lacking in India’s healthcare sector today ? You don’t need to be a rocket scientist to come up with the answer : trust. The relationship between the doctor and his patient has never been this tenuous.
This may be true of the larger cities...

Bar expenditure by firms for referral fees to docs: CAG

NEW DELHI: The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has asked the Central Board of Direct Taxes to disallow expenditure by companies in respect of all kinds of freebies and referral fees paid to medical practitioners.
It also asked the CBDT to disallow advertisement and business promot...

NEW DELHI: Indian biotech firm Panacea Biotec has entered into a joint collaboration with US generic drug maker Bionpharma Inc to develop, manufacture and sell seven complex generic drugs, the company said. Panacea declined to specify the drugs that would be developed under this collaboration, bu...

Dr Reddy's and CHD Bioscience sign up for licensing of a wound care drug

MUMBAI: Hyderabad based Dr Reddy's and biopharma company CHD Bioscience today announced a global licensing agreement for the clinical development and commercialisation of Dr Reddy's phase III clinical trial candidate, DFA-02.
Under the terms of the agreement, Dr Reddy's woul...

Mylan Pharma launches chronic hepatitis C drug in India

Mylan Pharmaceuticals Private Limited, a subsidiary of Mylan N V, announced on Thursday, the launch of Velpatasvir 100 mg/Sofosbuvir 400 mg tablets under the brand name MyHep All in India.
MyHep All is a fixed-dose combination tablet indicated for the treatment of chronic hepatitis C virus in...

Russia’s Chelyabinsk woos Indian pharma

Russia’s Chelyabinsk region is seeking proposals from Indian pharmaceutical companies looking to set up manufacturing units there with a local partner.
While some manufacturers are eyeing the prospect of a local production facility as it would translate into easier and greater access to...

You need not always complete full course of antibiotics: Doctors

NEW DELHI: Is it important to complete a full course of an antibiotic? Yes, according to conventional wisdom, which says stopping a course mid-way could lead to drug resistance. But several scientists have now challenged this claim.
In many situations, stopping antibiotics sooner is a safe wa...

Cipla's newly launched drug to cure severe malaria in young children

Drug major Cipla in partnership with Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV) on Tuesday launched a drug used for the treatment of severe malaria in young children.
The company introduced 100 mg Artesunate Rectocaps/Rectal Artesunate Suppositories (RAS), a life-saving, pre-referral intervention fo...

Lupin gets USFDA nod to market skin lotion

Drug firm Lupin on Monday said it has received final approval from the US health regulator to market its Fluocinonide topical solution used for the treatment of various skin conditions.
The company has received final approval to market generic Fluocinonide Topical Solution USP, 0.05 per cent ...

Swine flu threat grows; 600 deaths, 12,500 cases this year

NEW DELHI: Swine flu, the viral illness that became a pandemic in 2009, has made a comeback this year, claiming nearly 600 lives across the country so far this year with close to 12,500 cases being reported.
Maharashtra is the worst affected with 284 deaths followed by Gujarat (75), Kerala (6...

Over 2 million enrolled in India's quit tobacco programme in a year: WHO

NEW DELHI: The WHO has said more than 20 lakh people enrolled themselves in the first year of a quit-tobacco initiative of the Indian government and also advocated harnessing mobile technology for personalised advice.
Considering the high interest in quitting among tobacco users, the go...

Researchers from a southeastern Spanish university announced the discovery of a molecule that could be used as a potential drug to fight the effects of a Zika virus infection.
In a statement on Saturday, the San Antonio Catholic University of Murcia (UCAM) said that scientists belonging to it...

Less than one doctor for 1000 population in India: Government to Lok Sabha

NEW DELHI: India has less than one doctor for every 1000 population which is less than the World Health Organisation standard, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel said as per information provided by the Medical Council of India, there were a tot...

UNITED NATIONS: India, China and Pakistan are among the 10 countries that accounted for more than 95 per cent of all new HIV infections in the Asia and the Pacific region in 2016, according to a UN report.
The report by the Joint UN Programme on HIV/AIDS, UNAIDS, 'Ending AIDS: Progr...

Merck sees market for novel therapies, to focus on its oncology pipeline

MUMBAI: Merck is betting on India's growing pharmaceutical space and steady state spending on healthcare to expand its business, even as the German life sciences and technology company's seven-year-old joint venture with Dr Reddy's Laboratories to develop biosimilar drugs comes to an ...

Glenmark has tied up with Spanish firm Cyndea Pharma to develop complex drugs for US and Canada markets.
Following the tie up Glenmark will develop soft-gelatin capsule products under the technology license from the Spanish drug maker. The partnership allows Glenmark to expand its dosage form...

GSK puts old antibiotics and UK Horlicks biz on the block

GlaxoSmithKline said it was considering the sale of its cephalosporins antibiotics business and intended to divest its small Horlicks business in Britain, while retaining the much bigger malted drink operation in India.
The antibiotics business under strategic review covers the brands Z...

Cadila new MD Shravil Patel aims to double revenues in 5 years

MUMBAI: At 38, Shravil Patel, the newly appointed managing director at Cadila Healthcare, might be the youngest among top pharma executives. But with the backing of his father, the aggressive pharma veteran Pankaj Patel, Shravil says he would aim to double the company's revenue -more than Rs ...

Apollo Hospitals to add over 2,000 beds in next three year expansion plan

After crossing a target of 10,000 beds capacity, Apollo Hospitals is gearing for the next stage of an expansion plan that would see an addition of around 2,000 beds. The hospital chain is in the final stage of its current three-year expansion plan, which targeted to add 2,500 beds.
"I th...

Despite pricing pressure, pharma exports to US may rise in FY18: Report

Despite pricing pressure and stiff competition, the Indian Pharma exports to the USA may go up in 2017-18 as $50 billion worth of drugs are expected to become off-patented during the current year giving hope to boost the export market, said a report by Care Ratings.
"The Indian pharmaceu...

Dr Reddy, Lupin, others mull expanding Africa operations

Domestic pharmaceutical companies are expanding their Africa operations with product launches in new markets.
In FY17, Indian drugmakers exported medicines worth $3 billion to Africa and the continent is the second-largest export market for Indian companies after the United States.
Accord...

NEW DELHI: Malaysian private equity firm Creador has acquired a minority stake in Paras Healthcare through affiliate Commelina for Rs 275 crore, officials from both companies confirmed.
According to persons close to the development, Creador has picked up approximately 22% stake in Paras...

Nutraceuticals market may grow to $10 billion by 2022

MUMBAI: Indian nutraceuticals market is expected to grow at a compounded annual growth rate of 21 per cent and reach $ 10 billion by 2022 from $ 4 billion now, according to a report.
The growth in nutraceuticals - food and drinks which have potential health benefits - is seen largely dr...

MUMBAI: The US Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved Biocon and US drug maker Mylan's proposed biosimilar breast cancer drug Trastuzumab, a move that opens doors for Bangalore based Biocon in the big league of US cancer drug market.
The USFDA's Oncology Drugs Advisory ...

Why you pay 2 to 5 times the wholesale price on medical devices

NEW DELHI: Even if the central government and the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority were to control prices of all the medical devices recommended by the state drug authorities of Maharashtra and Odisha, it would barely cover 15% of India's medical device market estimated to be worth a...

US regulatory nod for Zydus drug to treat dementia

The US Food and Drug Administration has approved a drug by Zydus Cadila used to treat dementia of the Alzheimer's type, the Indian pharmaceutical company said on Wednesday.
"We have received the final approval from the USFDA to market Memantine Hydrochloride tablets USP, 5 mg and 10 ...

Credihealth launches medical loan facilities

CHENNAI: Credihealth, a medical assistance company, has launched a medical loan facility on its platform, partnering with banks, NBFCs and fintech players like Rubique.
Users can now apply for medical loans via Credihealth and make paperless in-principal transactions to avail loans ranging fr...

The Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research here said that it has performed its first lung transplant surgery successfully today on a 35- year-old woman from Punjab.
The complex operation took over 12 hours and was successfully completed by a team of 20 doctors and support st...

Dr Reddys, Lupin, others mull expanding Africa operations

Domestic pharmaceutical companies are expanding their Africa operations with a series of product launches, besides planning to foray in new markets.
In FY 2017, drug makers exported medicines worth $ 3 billion to Africa and the continent is the second largest export market for Indian companie...

Alembic Pharma gains 6 percent on USFDA nod for new drug

Alembic pharmaceuticals rose 6% to Rs 545 on BSE in intra-day trade after the company said that it has received US Food & Drug Administration (USFDA) tentative approval for its abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) for Dabigatran Etexilate Capsules, 150 mg.
“The tenta...

Lupin plans to consolidate generic products

Drug major Lupin is devising plans to consolidate its generic portfolio across key geographies, including the US, with a focus on expansion of complex and specialty products.
The Mumbai-based company may look at acquisitions, besides enhanced investment in research and development (R&D), ...

GSK to invest Rs 1,000 cr in Karnataka for new plant

Global healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Ltd is investing Rs 1,000 crore in a new state-of-the-art pharmaceutical unit in Karnataka and is looking at enhancing its global pipeline in areas like respiratory drugs and vaccines in India.
"We are investing Rs 1,000 crore in ...

Sun Pharma enters settlement in antitrust litigation in US

NEW DELHI: Indian pharmaceutical giant Sun Pharmaceutical Industries LtdBSE 0.88 % and one of its wholly-owned subsidiaries have entered into settlements with “certain plaintiffs” in an antitrust litigation matter currently pending in the United States, the company said.
Sun...

Glenmark gets US FDA nod for high blood pressure medicine

NEW DELHI: The US arm of Indian pharmaceutical major Glenmark PharmaceuticalsBSE 1.61 % has been granted final approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for its generic version of Japanese drug maker Daiichi Sankyo’s Azor tablets. Azor—amlodipine and olmesart...

Stronger rupee dampens pharma firms profit

Domestic pharmaceutical companies, says Edelweiss Securities Research, will see profit erosion in the June quarter, due to pricing pressure and strengthening of the rupee against the dollar over the past year.
The latter development means Indian companies earn less in rupee terms for their fo...

FSSAI panel to address concerns on health supplements nutraceuticals

The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) on Thursday said it is in the process of addressing concerns raised by the industry on new standards for eight categories of products, including health supplements and nutraceuticals, which were notified in 2016.
"These standards w...

GST impact Pharma sector supply chain coping well after rollout

Drug manufacturer Biocon on Thursday said most of the supply chain in pharmaceuticals sector seems to be coping after the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) system from July 1.
"Most of the supply chain seems to be coping... the kind of apprehension expressed by stockists...

Government notifies 15 medical devices as drugs for price regulation

NEW DELHI: Bringing critical medical devices like stents, orthopaedic implants and diagnostic equipment under stringent regulation, the health ministry has notified Medical Devices Rules, 2017, which will come into effect from January, 2018. The government has also notified 15 devices as drugs to...

Novartis receives EU approval for Cosentyx label update

ZURICH: NovartisBSE -0.41 % said that the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) has approved a label update for Cosentyx (secukinumab), the first interleukin-17A (IL-17A) approved to treat psoriasis
The label update includes 52-week data from the CLEAR study demonstratin...

Jubilant Life Sciences gets USFDA nod for antidepressive drug

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Jubilant Life SciencesBSE 0.47 % today said its subsidiary has received final approval from the US health regulator for Bupropion Hydrochloride extended- release tablets, used for the treatment of major depressive disorder and prevention of seasonal affective disorder.
...

Lupin launches generic conjunctivitis treatment medicine in US

NEW DELHI: Domestic pharma major Lupin LtdBSE 3.82 % today said it has launched in the US market its generic version of Moxifloxacin Hydrochloride Ophthalmic solution used for treating bacterial conjunctivitis.
The launch follows receipt of approval from the US Food and Drug Administrat...

Desi pharma companies need not fear Amazon in US

MUMBAI: Indian generic companies that retail in the US can breathe easy . Amazon's reported entry in the US pharmacy business does not pose a challenge to these companies that export substantial amounts to that country , even as the e-tailing giant has managed to disrupt the market in most co...

Zydus starts phase II trials of molecule targeting anaemia

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Zydus Cadila today announced the initiation of a phase II trial of oral small molecule Zyan1 that has been designed for the treatment of anaemia associated with chronic kidney disease.
Zyan1 has been designed to increase the natural production of hemoglobin and RBCs...

Sun Pharma and Samsung BioLogics on Tuesday announced a strategic long-term manufacturing agreement for Tildrakizumab used for treatment of psoriasis.
"The agreement was entered into by Sun Pharma's wholly- owned subsidiary and Samsung BioLogics...Sun Pharma...

Swine Flu: Govt relaxes norms for availability of H1N1 drugs

Antiviral drugs for treating Swine Flu will soon be available at a chemist shop near you, with the government relaxing norms on their availability.
A recent directive by the Ministry of Health said 'Oseltamivir Phosphate' and 'Zanamivir' drugs have now been included in the Sch...

India launches flagship program to boost biopharma production

NEW DELHI: India's biopharmaceuticals industry has received a booster dose from the government, with the Ministry of Science and Technology having finally launched its $250-million program to promote the production of biological drugs here. The program, first approved by the union cabinet in ...

GST launch at midnight: No change in cost of 78 percent of actively used drugs

Drug pricing regulator NPPA today said prices of around 78 per cent of 'actively used' drugs will remain unaffected after the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from midnight tonight.
The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) has already announced provisional ceili...

Apollo Hospitals launches air ambulance service network

Apollo Hospitals has launched a round-the-clock dedicated Air Ambulance Service Network to bring in patients in emergency from various parts of the country, especially from the smaller cities and towns to the major cities.
The company has entered into partnership with Bengaluru-based Air Avia...

Worldwide drug sales to hit $ 1.06 trillion in 2022: Study

Increased scrutiny around the pricing of medicines is starting to have an impact on drug sales growth, according to Evaluate’s latest World Preview report. Despite consensus forecasts for worldwide drug sales hitting $ 1.06 trillion in 2022, this is down from the $ 1.12 trillion analysts fo...

US FDA approves Natco Pharma's anti cancer drug azacitidine

Natco Pharma Limited has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for azacitidine injection used in the treatment of cancer. “Natco Pharma Limited is pleased to announce final approval of abbreviated new drug application (ANDA) from the US FDA for azacitidine f...

Sun Pharma to develop chikungunya, zika drugs

Sun Pharmaceutical Industries has tied up with Pune-based National Institute of Virology to develop new drugs to treat chickungunya, dengue and zika.
The partnership is a part of company's plans to develop drugs which cater to unmet needs of patients. Currently there are no specific drugs...

Drugs for cancer, diabetes, rare diseases to get affordable after GST roll out on July 1

The goods and services tax (GST) is unlikely to be a very bitter pill for the pharmaceutical industry, which feared a substantial rise in drug prices under the new indirect tax regime. While around 80 per cent drugs were put in the 12 per cent GST bracket (up from the current 9 per cent slab), im...

Biological E to make two of Takeda's vaccines for India and China markets

Japanese global pharmaceutical company Takeda and Hyderabad-based vaccine maker Biological E. Limited(BE) announced on Monday that they have entered into a collaboration under which two licensing agreements to expedite the development and delivery of affordable combination vaccines have been exec...

D B Gupta, who borrowed Rs 5,000 from wife to set up Lupin, is dead

Lupin founder-chairman Desh Bandhu Gupta, who transformed the company from a tuberculosis drugs specialist in the 1980s to a global leader in generic drugs, passed away in Mumbai on Monday. He was 79 and is survived by a wife and five children.
Gupta founded Lupin in 1968, borrowing Rs 5,000 ...

The hospital mate

Your speed of recovery in a hospital is related to many things. Among them is one you might not consider: the condition of your roommate.
A recent study published in the American Journal of Health Economics found that hospital patients who are assigned healthier roommates require less care an...

TUV SUD, the German safety and quality expert, has received accreditation from National Accreditation Board for Certifying Bodies (NABCB) to grant ISO 15378:2011 certification to manufacturers of primary packaging materials for pharmaceuticals and medi...

US FDA approves Glenmark Pharma's drug for overactive bladder

Glenmark Pharmaceuticals on Thursday said the US health regulator has granted tentative approval for tablets used for treatment of overactive bladder.
The company has been granted tentative approval by the United States Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) for Solifenacin Succinate tablets,...

Drug firm Alembic Pharmaceuticals has received US health regulator's nod for Amantadine Hydrochloride capsules used to treat symptoms of infection caused by influenza virus.
"The company has received approval from the United States Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) for its A...

Sun Pharma's extra discount to tide over GST wave

Sun Pharmaceuticals’ promoter Aditya Medisales has written to all stockists of the company’s products telling them that they will get extra discount, especially in the consumer health segment.
This is an attempt to ensure that its products are available even with t...

Department of Pharmaceuticals sets up facilitation cell to help firms shift to GST

NEW DELHI: The Department of Pharmaceuticals (DoP) has constituted a GST facilitation centre to enable pharma companies to successfully implement the new tax regime.
"In order to help and support the pharmaceutical industry in ensuring smooth and successful rollout of GST, a facili...

Will GST mitigate the cascading effects of multiple taxes on healthcare

In India, the healthcare sector has grown magnanimously since the last century. Today, the contribution of healthcare to the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) is pegged at 5 per cent. From $ 80 billion in 2012, the healthcare sector is expected to reach $ ...

Hospitals can bear up to 2 percentage hike in costs due to GST Apollo Hospitals

Even though the health care sector is exempt from the goods and services tax (GST), hospitalisation costs are estimated to go up by four to five per cent under the new indirect tax regime, said Prathap C Reddy, founder-chairman, Apollo Hospitals. Indicating that hospitalisation costs are likely t...

Zydus Cadila gets USFDA nod to market migraine drug

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Cadila HealthcareBSE 1.09 % today said Zydus Cadila has received an approval from the US health regulator to market Eletriptan Hydrobromide tablets used in treatment of migraine.
"Zydus Cadila has received the final approval from the United States Food and Drug...

Andhra Pradesh ties up with TUV Rheinland to test medical devices

HYDERABAD: German technical services provider TUV Rheinland’s Indian subsidiary has partnered with Andhra Pradesh MedTech Zone (AMTZ) to create an infrastructure for Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI/EMC) at an investment of Rs 85 crore over four to five years.
The public-private...

For the first time, an indigenously-developed vaccine against chikungunya has been developed and the first human trials are underway albeit on a slow pace.
If all goes on well, a vaccine against chikungunya could be a reality in a few years.
The novel vaccine candidate agai...

Aurobindo Pharma gets USFDA nod for oral suspension

NEW DELHI: Drug firm Aurobindo Pharma has received USFDA nod to make oral suspension used for controlling serum phosphorus in patients with chronic kidney disease on dialysis.
The company has received final approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (USFDA) to manufacture Sevelam...

Central nod for setting up of 100 AYUSH hospitals: Shripad Yesso Naik

THANJAVUR: The Centre has approved proposals for setting up of 100 Ayurveda, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH) hospitals across the country, Minister of state for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik has said.
The minister said during the last three years the Union government had approved posti...

Working to get generic drugs exempt from GST: Ananth Kumar

Even as pharmaceutical companies prepare themselves to come under the GST ambit from July 1, Pharmaceuticals Minister Ananth Kumar on Tuesday said the Department of Pharmaceuticals was trying to get generic medicines exempt from GST. These are the drugs sold at Janaushadhi stores, which provide a...

India's herbal revolution in numbers

A few years ago, India's naturals/herbal market occupied a fairly small proportion of India's personal care category due to the absence of significant growth triggers.
But with the emergence of players such as Patanjali, a company co-founded by Baba Ramdev which h...

The pharmaceutical industry has sought permission to increase prices of non-scheduled drugs by more than the stipulated 10 per cent in a year, as the tax rate on most drugs was raised to 12 per cent under the proposed GST regime from the current nine per cent.
In a meeting...

The US Food & Drug Administration has granted marketing approval for ezetimibe tablet (10 mg) to two Indian companies - Sun Pharma and Zydus Cadila. Ezetimibe, a generic version of Merck’s Zetia tablet, is used to reduce high cholesterol levels.
...

Apollo aims to hike occupancy

Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Ltd (AHEL) is focusing on increasing its occupancy to improve growth following a decline in the year 2016-17. The hospital has an occupancy of 47 per cent. It plans to increase occupancy to 65 per cent by the end of the current fiscal year, according to senior man...

Aurobindo Pharma looks to sell cancer drugs in the US by year end

Hyderabad-based Aurobindo Pharma Limited is hoping to receive three-four product approvals in the oncology space from the US Food and Drug Administration (US FDA) before March 2018.
The company's optimistic prediction about a possible good start in this high-margin pro...

Obesity may lead to a decreasing lung function, warn doctors

For 63-year-old Kumar Shahani, a weight loss surgery has helped alleviating the risk of pulmonary embolism, a potentially fatal condition that he had developed wherein a blood clot got lodged in an artery of his lung, blocking blood flow to part of the vital organ.
Pulmonary embolism can dam...

With more and more urban Indians measuring the steps they walk each day in order to improve their general health levels, start-ups offering fitness apps are seeing a spike in the number of monthly fee-based subscriptions for theire services.
Health and fitness apps&n...

Zydus' Nesher Pharma gets US FDA nod for antifungal drug

Zydus Group firm Cadila Healthcare’s subsidiary Nesher Pharmaceuticals has received nod from the USFDA to market Nystatin topical powder used for treating skin infections in the US market. The drug will be produced at Nesher Pharmaceuticals manufacturing facility in USA, the company said in...

Top five Indian pharma companies together spent over Rs 8000 crore on R&D spend in FY17

Indian drugmakers have a potent cure for the present ills dogging the industry: Research
Often pulled up for spending too little on research and development (R&D), India’s biggest pharmaceutical companies now appear to match their global peers in investing for the future. The ...

Global medical device cleaning market to touch $ 1.7 bn by 2022

The global medical device cleaning market, valued at $ 1.31 billion in 2017, is expected to grow at a CAGR of 5.6 percent during 2017–2022 to reach $ 1.71 billion by 2022, according to a MarketsandMarkets report. The medical device cleaning market includes detergents and disinfectants used ...

FDA nod for generic Lialda launch to boost US biz for Zydus Cadila in FY18

Ahmedabad-headquartered pharma major Zydus Cadila has got the final nod from the US drug regulator to market Mesalamine tablets in the US. The ulcerative colitis drug is estimated to have a market size of $1.145 billion.
While most p...

Drug shortages likely during tax transition

Shortages are likely as the pharmaceutical industry gears up for transitioning to the GST from July 1. The stockist-level inventory at the end of May was lower than that in April as most companies drew down stocks at the distributor level.
According to the All I...

Nearly half of pharma industry may come under price control

Fixed-dose combinations (FDCs), drugs that include two or more therapeutic ingredients, comprise nearly 40 per cent of Indian drug market, say industry bodies that fear the move of National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) putting them under price control. The drug pricing authority last m...

Dilip Shanghvi repositions Sun Pharma in US as a specialty drugmaker

Investors in Sun Pharmaceutical have lost about Rs 25,000 crore in the last two weeks since its US subsidiary Taro Pharmaceutical announced 32% annual decline in net profit to $83 million for quarter ending March 2017. Net sales for the subsidiary declined 26% to $196 million for the period. Parent ...